History of Amplify Music

Our non-profit organization has made significant amounts of motivational impacts to the residents of Geimenschaft Homes.

Before Amplify Music:

During the 2017-2018 academic year, students came once a week, Monday evenings, to Gemeinschaft Home.

  • Students worked with residents through an eight-week program.

  • During this program the residents wrote music and lyrics about their life stories and experiences.

    Purpose of the collaboration was to:

    • Foster community involvement.

    • Promote music as therapy practices.

    • Raise awareness about the experiences and issues relating to incarceration.

May 6, 2018 - Gemeinschaft Home residents joined students and faculty from James Madison University, as well as bands from around the region, at the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts to present a concert. The concert featured different songs and lyrics created during a year-long collaboration among everyone.

Start of Amplify Music…

June 2019 - August 2019 – JMU Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship’s Venture Creation Accelerator (Sophie and Rebecca license Amplify Music as “AMPLIFIY: A Music Performance Learning Initiative for Incarcerated Youth”; begin classes at Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center in Verona.

March 2020 – Classes unfortunately stops due to COVID-19.

June 2020 – Rebecca Kenaga receives position at Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship as Art Entrepreneur in Residence to support Amplify Music’s growth and development.

December 2020 – AmplifyTV – live-streamed benefit concert series featuring artists who have carceral experiences or identify with communities typically marginalized in performing spaces. There were 28 concerts, with over 4,000 views, 31 artists including BL Shirelle, Palmyra, EVER-G, and Strange Froots and ( ) money raised.

March 2021 – Received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status as Amplify Music.

May 2021 – Began classes at Gemeinschaft Women’s Home, restarting our first collaboration.

  • These classes focused on instrument learning and song writing, as well as collaborative music making.

June 2021 – Began practicum relationship with JMU Social Work, bringing social work students into sessions at GWH.

January 2022 – Started classes at Gemeinschaft Men’s Home, beginning interdisciplinary practicum relationship with JMU Music Education & JMU Social Work in both homes.

More to come!

2017-2018 –National Endowment for the Arts Grant-funded Stories and Songs class, culminated in a concert (Sophie and Rebecca involved).

  • JMU Music Education professors Dr. David Stringham and Dr. Jesse Rathgeber, Professor Cindy Hunter, Professor Robby McCoubrey .

  • Interdisciplinary between music education and social work.

    • Two classes took place, : Instrument learning (bass, guitar, piano. etc.), and Song Writing (stories into songs).

      • There were more companionship towards people who’ve been incarcerated, after the concert.

      • People who performed were students who’s been involved in the practicum experience, gemeinschaft home residents, local harrisonburg community bands, JMU professors.

      • All of the songs were co-written by gemeinschaft home residents.

        • Some residents had previous knowledge about the song written process, some others were taught.

      • After project was finished, Rebecca continued to work on practicum.

January 2019 – Co-founder Sophie Harrison invited co-founder Rebecca Kenaga join in facilitating project-based music classes at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Facility.