Fund Bryson Gates' Journey to Walden Music Retreat

In my time as an educator, I have had the opportunity to work with talented, hard working young musicians. Among the best I’ve seen is a young man, Bryson Gates, who studied at Music Arts Institute (MAI) where I teach. Bryson is now a freshman at William Jewell College studying violin, vocal performance, and musical composition. Bryson’s career goal is to compose music for the film, and with continued experience and education, I firmly believe he’ll get there!

Music has played an instrumental role in Bryson’s life, helping him overcome difficult situations, including the loss of his mother and being placed in a group home during high school. He received financial help to attend MAI, and that allowed him to secure a scholarship to William Jewell. Now Bryson has another opportunity to grow and gain experience. With your help, I’m sure we can help him get there.

Here’s the opportunity. Bryson has been accepted into the Creative Musicians Retreat program through the Walden School of Music in New Hampshire. The program is coming up in June of 2025. Acceptance in this program is limited and invites are only extended to young musicians with talent and the passion to succeed.

This is what Bryson said about the program, “This is an amazing opportunity for me to further my education and get experience with composition, improvisation, electronic, string, and choral music. The program will also help me make connections for furthering my career goals.”

Bryson is working hard to get funds to attend the Walden program this June (2025). It will cost more than $4,000 with travel and other expenses. He has secured a partial scholarship from the university but it’s not nearly enough. On behalf of Bryson, I’m hoping we can raise the rest of the money needed to make this possible.

I can’t say enough good things about Bryson. In addition to his musical talent, he is an extremely kind and hard working young man. In a recent interview for an MAI video Bryson said this, “I believe that anyone can do music. With a strong drive and passion, but also a dedicated heart to music, I believe that anything can be accomplished. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

Please consider making a donation to help Bryson get to Walden this June. Any funds raised above the goal needed for the Walden program, will go to support other expenses Bryson has at William Jewell that aren’t covered by his scholarship.

Thank you for your consideration!