serving maine families
Enriching lives with the Magic of Music
in loving memory of Van Lawton
Help Our Cause
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals! Your generous donation will fund our mission to provide musical instruments and creative opportunities to families in Maine. Thank YOU We are a 501c3 organization
Music and magic is the official non-profit for 2023 Maine Fo
Come for the whole weekend of amazing camping, music, and activities for the whole family!
We are also accepting instrument donations and financial donations to help us continue to provide musical instruments and creative opportunities to families in Maine and beyond.
THE GREAT INSTRUMENT GIVE AWAY
More Instruments Needed
We need more instruments! Our wish list is bigger than ever and we need more instruments! If you have a gently used guitar, violin, keyboard, drumset, trumpet, trombone, ukulele, saxophone, cello, flute, clarinet, marimba... get it to us and we will happily re-home it! Drop off locations in Saco and Biddeford.
Email: amanda@musicandmagic.org to make arrangement.
*we do not re-home pianos at this time
Music is Magic
Why we give instruments to kids
Research confirms what we all know, children who play music are inevitably more confident and creative and have a substantially positive effect on the community in which they live because of this. From the educational standpoint, English, Mathematics, Science and Foreign language skills are all positively impacted by a child’s participation in a school’s chorus, orchestra or band. While many schools are cutting or downsizing their existing music classes, research and experience bear out that music appreciation and music performance in school are central to developing the whole child. Music and Magic is approached by many families who cannot afford the rentals of these programs and those who can, find that the children are at a loss when the program ends and the instrument is no longer available to them. We feel it is imperative that for the child to deeply connect to the experience they need to have their own instrument. Studies confirm that participation in music makes an even greater impact upon the life skills and academic performance of financially challenged and other at-risk students. Music invites creativity, self-expression, healthy release of emotions and self-esteem. Music and the arts are a critical part of a thriving community.
WE make Music and MAgic too! Check out these other projects
KindKids Music
duquette and dancer
duquette and dancer
duquette and dancer
duquette and dancer
duquette and dancer
Original music by Rob Duquette and lyrical dance with Amanda Duquette
history
~in loving memory of Van Lawton
Established in 2009 upon the sudden death of beloved musician Van Lawton of South Paris Maine, Music and Magic was created to honor his memory. Born Ivandal Lawton in Roxbury, MA in 1974, Van grew up with a fondness for music. He joined the school band in sixth grade playing trombone and wasn’t fortunate enough to handle a guitar until the age of 15. At the age of 16 he began his love affair with the Bass. Writing and performing in all genres of music, Van was motivated by the idea of inspiring children to make music. He became a well known and sought out musician, songwriter, and recording artist in Maine in the early 2000's. Family and friends agreed that the best way to honor his memory and keep his music and magic alive was to create a way to give instruments to children who had a desire to play. Amanda Duquette who was "like a sister" to him, began collecting gently used instruments and giving them to kids in 2009, and has made it her passion to tell his story to all the children who receive instruments in his memory since.
email: amanda@musicandmagic.org
Nominate a child to receive the gift of music!
Maine Public has partnered with us for their summer instrument donation drive. Now we are accepting nominations for children who are interested in playing!
send us the child's first name, age, town, parent/guardian contact info, and the instrument desired and we will do our best !
Contact info for donations & nominations
