Home - Guitars Not Guns NCA

Tinner Hill Blues Festival• June 8^th • 12 – 8 pm • Ticket Purchase Required

GnG NCA will be there this year providing information about our program, selling t-shirts and raffling off another great guitar. We'll also have the GnG Music Experience set up to provide lessons to the kids from 12-5 pm.

Non-Musician Adult Volunteers Needed

Check out our Volunteer Page to see how you can help us make a difference in your community. Volunteer online.

Del Ray Music Festival • June 22^nd • Noon - 9 pm • Free

GnG NCA will be there again this year providing information about our program, selling t-shirts and raffling off another great guitar.

Columbia Pike Blues Festival • June 15^th • 1 – 8 pm • Free

GnG NCA will be there again this year providing information about our program, selling t-shirts and raffling off another great guitar.

Do More 24 • June 6th • 24 hours

On June 6^th we’re joining forces with United Way for a day of online events aimed at giving everyone a chance to help make a difference in our community. Check back for details on how you can participate with us in early May.

Understanding the benefits of a music program

Research has shown a strong correlation between music education and a person’s success in life. Youth involved in quality music programs tend to do better in school; score higher on standardized tests; be less inclined to engage in risky behavior; and be more inclined to take advantage of positive opportunities made available to them.

Changing the World on a Tuesday Night

A book about ordinary people who are making an extraordinary difference. Our Music Program is one of the nonprofits featured.

Poverty's impact on youth

Poverty affects a child both physically and mentally. They are weighed down by a world of no; whether it is basic necessities, recreation opportunities or extracurricular programs designed to benefit them, their parents tell them they do not have the means for them to have it or participate in it. Some think that this kind of childhood wreaks greater havoc on a child than almost any child-abuse scenario.

Declining availability of music programs in the public sector

When school budgets must be trimmed, music and art programs are usually one of the first things to go. Although recognized a core-subject area, they don’t carry the same weight as math and English/language arts. Programs cut from the school’s curriculum can come back as extra-curricular activities but at a cost to students; a reality that excludes youth of limited means.

Creating Solutions vs Relieving Symptoms

Behind each need is a problem to be solved. The desired response is an approach that meets the need – provides immediate relief to those adversely affected – and solves the problem – prevents others from falling into the same circumstance. This is a difficult, but not impossible challenge.

Crisis in high school graduation rates

A student's decision to drop out of school has long-term consequences that can contribute to juvenile delinquency, welfare dependency or prison. According to the NCES, the percentage of 16- through 24-year-olds who were not enrolled in school, or who did not have a high school diploma or a GED credential was about 8% in 2008; 5% for Whites, 10% for Blacks and 18% for Hispanics.