Toyota Supports Youth Music Education With $75,000 Donation to Music Will

Photo: Courtesy of Toyota Motor North America

Music has always been more than entertainment. For many young people, particularly those growing up in culturally rich but historically under-resourced communities, it is a pathway to confidence, self-expression, and opportunity. That belief sits at the heart of Toyota’s latest commitment to music discovery: a $75,000 donation to Music Will, the largest nonprofit music program in the United States.

The contribution reinforces a shared mission to bring culturally responsive, hands-on music education to students nationwide while extending learning far beyond the classroom and onto real stages.

From Classrooms to Concert Grounds

Music Will delivers modern band programs to more than one million students in thousands of public schools across the country. Toyota’s support helped expand that impact by connecting students directly to the professional music ecosystem.

Through the partnership, participating students performed live at two Toyota-sponsored festivals: ONE Musicfest in Atlanta and Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in Los Angeles. These immersive experiences offered students something rarely accessible in traditional music education: authentic exposure to large-scale audiences, professional production environments, and the cultural energy of major live events.

For students who rarely see themselves reflected on major stages, these moments offer more than exposure. They offer validation, visibility, and the belief that their voices belong in the cultural conversation.

Music as a Universal Connector

For Toyota, the initiative reflects a long-standing commitment to creativity, discovery, and youth engagement through music.

“It’s been a pleasure working and connecting with students through music, which is a universal connector,”shared Kaitlin Marie Pennell, Sr. Analyst, Toyota.“Supporting emerging artists has been part of what Toyota has been doing for so many years, and it’s exciting when we see it come to life through partnerships with rising artists like ELA Taubert and through our work with festival partners that provided great real-life experiences for students from Music Will who took part in these opportunities.”

The partnership with Music Will moved students from structured learning environments into immersive, professional settings, bridging the gap between education and lived creative experience.

Representation, Access, and Real Possibility

Those experiences extended beyond the festival stage. Students from Verdugo Hills High School also had the opportunity to meet and speak with ELA Taubert, who shared her personal journey, offering not only a behind-the-scenes look at her Los Angeles concert but a tangible example of what is possible when talent and opportunity align.

Moments like these, personal, unfiltered, and grounded in real-world success, can be transformative. They shift aspiration from abstraction to something attainable.

For Music Will, Toyota’s involvement represents more than a financial contribution; it is a meaningful investment in a mission that has been decades in the making.

“We’re so grateful to Toyota for investing in our mission and giving kids an experience of a lifetime,” said Janice Polizzotto, Chief Growth Officer, Music Will.“We’re incredibly proud of our students and teachers who continue to inspire us with their creativity, confidence, and ambition. These young musicians are a glimpse of the rising artists shaping the future – and it’s exciting to know Toyota is helping support that next generation. We can’t wait to see what grows from this new partnership and the possibilities ahead.”

Music Will’s roots trace back to 1996, when a classroom teacher in East Palo Alto, California, began offering free guitar lessons to students after discovering their school lacked a formal music program. What started in a single classroom grew into a national movement.

Since 2002, Music Will has provided teacher training, curriculum, and instruments to over 6,000 schools across all 50 states, reaching more than 1.8 million students to date. By 2030, the organization aims to reach 11 million students annually through its nationally scaled programming.

Toyota continues to champion music discovery by sponsoring festivals, supporting emerging artists, and investing in education-driven partnerships that create meaningful access. By working with festivals like ONE Musicfest and Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, and supporting rising talent on their creative journeys, the brand helps forge lasting connections between artists, audiences, and communities.

When young people are given the tools, the stage, and the support, creativity becomes a powerful engine for growth, and the future sounds a little more inclusive because of it.