April 2026 Newsletter:

Tending to the Roots of Our Community

Students from the course Studying Music in Culture.

Welcome to the April 2026 edition of our monthly newsletter!

Tending What Grows: On Learning Seasons, Generosity, and the Quiet Infrastructure of This Work

Spring has a way of reminding us that nothing sturdy grows without tending. 

This month’s newsletter is full of people who have spent their careers tending — some to the research that gives our programs their backbone, some to the philanthropic soil that makes expansion possible, and some to the less visible work of building an organization strong enough to hold it all.

On the latest episode of inTUNE, I had the gift of sitting down with Dr. Mary Cohen, whose work at the University of Iowa has shaped, in no small way, the landscape of community and prison-based choral programs in this country. Mary is a teacher’s teacher — generous with her research, her songs, and her belief that singing together is one of the most honest forms of community we have. Our conversation spans her path into this field, what she has learned inside the walls, and why “musicking”, done in community with care, can reconfigure how people see themselves and one another. This episode’s Pulse segment, inspired by Mary’s work, is titled “Building Engagement Programs Rooted in Care, Reciprocity, and Community” — practical, grounded, and worth the listen for anyone leading programming.

Be sure to check out Maggie Frederick's latest Substack post, which puts Dr. Cohen's scholarship in conversation with OpporTUNEity's work and asks a hard question: is arts programming a bandage on a broken system, or a driver of structural change?

Closer to home, we are honored that a group of undergraduate students from the College of the Holy Cross, working under Dr. Lin Georgis, chose OpporTUNEity’s programming inside the Worcester County House of Correction as the focus of their final research. That students this early in their training would devote a semester to looking closely at what we do is deeply meaningful to us.

We are also turning the spotlight this month on Lisa Kirby Gibbs and the philanthropic philosophy that shapes the Kirby Foundation. The Kirby Foundation's $150,000 investment in OpporTUNEity, shared last month, is an extension of something deeper: a conviction that real giving is relational, patient, and willing to be changed by the people it meets. We are honored to share her story in her own words. 

A personal note to close. I recently completed the Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP) training, organized and fully funded by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation in partnership with BDO USA. Skill-building like this is not flashy, but it is the quiet infrastructure that lets mission-driven work actually hold. My thanks to GWCF and BDO for investing in nonprofit leaders this way — and for the reminder that tending to our own roots is part of the job, too.

Thank you, as always, for walking this with us.

With gratitude,

Dr. Melissa Martiros

Founder & CEO, OpporTUNEity Community Connections

Students in the course Studying Music in Culture presented their findings at the College of the Holy Cross Academic Symposium on April 22.

For the past four months, five undergraduate students from the College of the Holy Cross have been conducting ethnographic research in our courses at the Worcester County House of Correction. Their Community-Based Learning (CBL) course, "Studying Music in Culture," is taught by Professor Lin Georgis, an ethnomusicologist whose work focuses on Luso-African and African music and culture, migration, urban youth culture, and electronic dance music. Over the course of the spring semester, the students observed and interviewed teaching artists and participants in our "From Beats to Anthems" and "Beat Making and Production" classes.

Students presented their findings at the Holy Cross Academic Conference on April 22, placing OpporTUNEity's courses in conversation with academic research at the center of correctional arts education scholarship. One student group drew on Christopher Small's concept of "musicking," which defines music as the active creation of relationships between sound and people. This concept—which our inTUNE guest Mary Cohen has developed into a pedagogy for correctional settings—captures the community and growth that our students and Teaching Artists enact in every class session.

We are proud to have worked with Holy Cross students that recognized OpporTUNEity’s values and reflected the transformational power of arts programming within their academic research. A core tenant of OpporTUNEity is engaging college students in our work, and it was so special to have college students in our classes as ethnographers. Their research helps strengthen our relationship with the College of the Holy Cross and communicate the power of music.

The students had the opportunity to reflect on their research and talk about key takeaways. One student reported:

"We were looking to understand how the Beat Making and Production class empowers students in the class. I learned a lot, but most importantly I understood more about the humanity of incarcerated individuals. I also gained a better understanding of how important community-engaged work is for personal development. My biggest takeaway is having a better understanding of incarceration and why providing resources to vulnerable populations is so important for future success. I understand how OpporTUNEity operates and tries to improve outcomes for this population."

We are honored to have been a part of furthering this field of research and engaging with young adults as they begin their academic careers and civic journeys!

inTUNE: Remember, Be Love: Dr. Mary Cohen on Music, Prison Choirs, and Forgiveness

In this month's episode of inTUNE: Stories of Connection Through Music, Dr. Melissa Martiros sits down with Dr. Mary Cohen, Professor of Music Education at the University of Iowa and co-leader of IMAJIN Caring Communities, for a wide-ranging conversation about what music makes possible when it's built on genuine relationship.

Mary's signature project was the Oakdale Community Choir, which she led from 2009 to 2020, during which she brought together nearly 300 incarcerated and non-incarcerated singers who collectively wrote 150 original songs. When COVID halted the choir and the Iowa Department of Corrections chose not to restart it, Mary launched the Inside/Outside Collaborative Songwriting Project, pairing incarcerated and non-incarcerated musicians to build relationships through original songwriting.

Listen to the episode using the link below to discover how music can create connections with others, both inside and outside of prison.

"Sing it from your soul."

THE PULSE

This month’s “Pulse” segment is inspired by Mary’s pedagogy, which she adapted from Christopher Smalls’ “musicking.” Melissa discusses how to develop arts programming steeped in reciprocity and care. You can find this discussion starting at the 39:15 timestamp.

Have any questions for Melissa? Each episode, Melissa will answer questions about music education, inclusion, and more on a segment called “The Pulse.” We want to hear from parents, students, musicians, community leaders, and educators.

Click the button below to submit a question for Melissa to answer on inTUNE!

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New Blog Post - Mary Cohen and Musicking:

Common Humanity in Correctional Arts Programming and Scholarship

To accompany our latest episode of inTUNE, we published a blog post that dives deeper into Dr. Cohen’s scholarship and work in correctional arts education.  The post explores Cohen's use of Christopher Small's concept of "musicking"—music as the active creation of relationships between sounds and people—and her grounding in peacemaking criminology, tracing these ideas through projects like the Oakdale Community Choir.

It also puts Cohen's work in conversation with OpporTUNEity's own programming in Worcester, from recent Holy Cross ethnographic findings on humor, vulnerability, and solidarity in our classes to the origin of "Nowhere Right Now," a song born from one student's hesitant first line. Check out our Substack for an exploration of Cohen’s contributions to the field and how OpporTUNEity’s work fits in.

Attending Nonprofit Finance Training

This month, Dr. Melissa Martiros, OpporTUNEity's Founder & CEO, completed the Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP) training through the Greater Worcester Community Foundation in partnership with BDO USA.

The CNAP designation is a nationally recognized certificate program for nonprofit financial personnel, providing comprehensive training in nonprofit financial management, accounting principles, and compliance. The training itself was exceptional, and the expertise Dr. Martiros gained will help OpporTUNEity make the most of every dollar our funders entrust to us. By strengthening our financial foundation, we strengthen our mission: engaging under-resourced youth and justice-impacted individuals across Worcester through transformative music programming.

A heartfelt thank you to the Greater Worcester Community Foundation for sponsoring this program—the impact it will have on our work is profound.

Interview with Lisa Kirby Gibbs

Last month, we announced a transformation gift from the Kirby Foundation, on behalf of Lisa Kirby Gibbs. In an effort to thank and highlight Lisa’s contributions to OpporTUNEity, both as a board member and lead supporter, we wanted to share her perspective here in our newsletter. We’re excited to share Lisa’s own words on the work we do, the changes she’s overseen at OpporTUNEity, and her incredibly generous multi-year pledge.

We have been lucky enough to develop a close relationship with you and your family foundation over the past year. How have you seen OpporTUNEity grow during this time?

Over the past year, OpporTUNEity has grown in ways that are both meaningful and energizing. The Kirby Foundation’s original support helped launch the first Songwriters Circle, which has since expanded into several circles, creating a thriving and connected community of artists.

OpporTUNEity has also built momentum through successful grant funding, while creating new ways to share the work through our Substack and podcast. Behind the scenes, this has been a year of important foundation-building as well. A committed Board of Trustees was established, which will support OpporTUNEity through the growth ahead.

I am honored to be involved with this organization in a way that stays true to the mission while expanding its reach.

With this transformational pledge, what are you most excited for over the next three years at OpporTUNEity?

With the Kirby Foundation pledge of $150,000, I am excited to be fostering sustainable, thoughtful growth over the next three years. Bringing on dedicated marketing and development support will allow OpporTUNEity to expand its reach, strengthen funding, and begin building toward more full-time roles within the organization.

Also very important to the Foundation and to me, is promoting the growth of operations in ways that deepen community connection—especially through launching an annual fundraising event that brings our program participants into the heart of the experience. It’s an exciting next chapter of building something both lasting and impactful.

What core values and beliefs are central to your philanthropy? How do these show up in your role on OpporTUNEity’s board?

At the heart of my involvement with OpporTUNEity and this gift is a belief in access, dignity, and the power of creative expression. I’m drawn to work that creates real opportunity—for voices that might otherwise go unheard. I also believe deeply in building organizations that are both mission-driven and sustainable. In my role on OpporTUNEity’s board, this shows up as a focus on thoughtful growth—supporting Melissa and her growing team in making decisions that expand impact while maintaining the integrity of the work. It’s about balancing heart and structure, and helping create a foundation that can support tangible community-driven change not just today, but well into the future.

How has music been transformational in your life?

Music has always been a source of inspiration and connection for me. It has a way of expressing what’s often hard to put into words and of bringing people together in a shared, impactful experience.



At different moments in my life, music has been grounding, energizing, and deeply healing. It’s helped shape how I understand both myself and others—and that belief in its power is a big part of why supporting OpporTUNEity feels so meaningful to me.

Whether you're an experienced musician or exploring songwriting for the first time, we welcome you to take part in this unique, community-driven experience.

Join us at one of our upcoming weekly sessions:



• Wednesdays 11:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. at Community Compass at Open Sky Community Services

199 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA



• Wednesdays 12:45 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. at the Community Justice Support Center

365 Main Street, Worcester, MA

If you are interested in learning more about our program offerings, please use the sign-up button below or email opportuneitymusic@gmail.com.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Support Us

Interested in supporting inclusive and transformative music education in Worcester? Your gift of any size is greatly appreciated by all of us at OpporTUNEity. Click the button below to submit your donation.

Thank you!

A Special Thank You to Our Supporters

OPPORTUNEITY AND THE OPPORTUNEITY LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF MELISSA S. MARTIROS @ 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.