Friends of South Florida Music, Inc.

Friends of South Florida Music (FSFM) is an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit and STEAM education provider founded in 2016 that leverages music education and attachment-based learning to stimulate neuroplasticity in children from birth through first grade and minority and disabled students through age 18. Through our research-based Music FUNdamentals curriculum, we provide free, weekly 30-minute music classes in underserved communities throughout Miami-Dade County, ensuring that every child has access to the lifelong benefits of music education regardless of ability or socioeconomic status.

Today, FSFM serves more than 2,000 children annually through partnerships with 16 schools and 149 classrooms, providing research-based music instruction at no cost to students, families, or schools. Our curriculum is intentionally designed for schools that do not have a formal music program and serves communities where children often have limited access to arts education and enrichment opportunities. Many of our partner schools are Title I schools with large populations of minority students and children with disabilities.

Developed from more than two decades of early childhood research conducted by Founder Dr. Joy Galliford, Music FUNdamentals strengthens children's cognitive, language, physical, social-emotional, and creative development during the most significant years of brain growth. Each lesson incorporates singing, movement, rhythm instruments, listening activities, creative expression, and purposeful social interaction while reinforcing classroom instruction and developmental milestones.

Research consistently demonstrates that music education strengthens early learning and academic achievement. Our own longitudinal study found that participation in Music FUNdamentals significantly improved not only musical aptitude, but also linguistic and non-linguistic developmental skills, including language acquisition, spatial awareness, motor coordination, executive functioning, and self-regulation. One of the program's most inspiring outcomes is witnessing children who were once reluctant or nonverbal become joyful, engaged participants within their classrooms.

As a STEAM education provider, FSFM integrates music into interdisciplinary learning to strengthen critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Through developmentally appropriate musical experiences, children build foundational skills in mathematics, pattern recognition, sequencing, memory, and language while developing the confidence and resilience needed for future academic success.

Our impact extends beyond the music classroom. FSFM provides ongoing coaching and mentoring for classroom teachers, equipping them with musical strategies that support daily instruction and student engagement. Each participating school celebrates its students' accomplishments through a School Jams with Friends Concert, featuring live accompaniment by the FSFM Jazz and Jeans Band and bringing together families, educators, and the community.

Friends of South Florida Music also supports the whole child through annual outreach initiatives, including our Send Them Back with a Full Backpack Campaign, which provides backpacks filled with essential school supplies, and Santa's Workshop, ensuring that participating children receive a brand-new Christmas toy during the holiday season.

FSFM measures success through increased student engagement, teacher and parent feedback, classroom observations, and student performances that demonstrate measurable growth in confidence, creativity, and developmental skills. Every gift made through Give Miami Day helps us continue providing free, research-based music education that transforms lives and ensures every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive through the power of music.

Together, we are building stronger children, stronger schools, and stronger communities—one song at a time.