Nonprofit keeps foster children in tune with music lessons

Karyn Scott spent years as a prosecutor watching foster youth going through the legal system. Scott watched as they changed homes, schools and friends, which led her to start Kids In A New Groove, located at 2215 Westlake Drive in the Lake Austin Marina Building, to provide something stable for the children.

"After I left my job as a prosecutor, I always had it in my mind that I wanted to do something to help foster youth," Scott said.

That yearning led Scott to first form Kids In New Digs in 2004, a nonprofit aimed at providing used clothing to foster children, but Scott realized it wasn't having the effect she wanted. After much discussion on ways to reach children in foster care, Scott decided on music mentorship in 2009.

"Mentorship is the most powerful way to reach foster youth and have a successful chance to have them age out of care," Scott said. "We put that together with music because music is a really powerful tool for abused and neglected youth ... it is a very successful therapy."

This idea led Scott to form Kids In A New Groove, a nonprofit that aims to enhance the lives of foster children through music. The group provides music lessons of the child's choice at no cost to the foster family.

"The idea is that there is a consistent connection every week," Scott said. "We aim for the students to be in the program for at least a year, but they can stay as long as [the lessons] are productive."

The nonprofit uses motivation along with a stable relationship to keep foster youth involved.

"A big component of our program is that kids can earn their own instrument," Scott said. "The idea is that youth in foster care don't get to experience the sense of achievement that other kids get because they are transferred so frequently."

By meeting goals and advancing in lessons, the students can earn their own instrument from the nonprofit, something they may not be able to achieve otherwise, Scott said.

"A lot of things they could achieve or experience, they don't get to because they are at a new school," Scott said.

Kids In A New Groove attempts to combat this by keeping the student and teacher together if at all possible, in an attempt to build a stable relationship.

The nonprofit currently serves 60 students in Austin, Dallas and Houston, but Scott hopes to expand beyond Texas in the future.

Kids In A New Groove currently pays its teachers but is hoping to recruit volunteer teachers in order to expand and serve more foster youth.

"We are really trying to recruit volunteer teachers," Scott said. "We've never tried to do that before. We are super excited to take on teachers and train teachers."

In order to help Kids In A New Groove achieve this goal, the nonprofit received a grant from the Webber Family Foundation, which supports organizations that serve lower-income youth.

"It's about how great these kids can be ... that's what it's about, and I think that it can help kids get adopted," Scott said.

Ways to help

Donate at KING's website: www.kidsinanewgroove.org/donate

Purchase tickets for the July 14 Round Rock Express game and fill out the form available on KING's website.

Use the "Train4" link from the KING website to purchase athletic apparel. Fifty percent of the sales go back to the charity.

Email Karyn Scott at [email protected] to get information on how to volunteer.