Swan Strings

What Swan Strings does

Swan Strings is a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jess Garland. It provides free music education, community concerts, and sound therapy services to underserved communities across North Texas, with an explicit focus on Black and Brown students and families historically excluded from structured music education. Since inception the organization has delivered approximately 1,000 hours of free programming to roughly 400 children and 50 adults, embedding classes directly inside trusted community sites — recreation centers, libraries, schools, and cultural centers — to eliminate transportation and cost barriers. Curriculum is culturally responsive and centers Black women, girls, and musicians of color, and is supplemented by interdisciplinary programming such as The Gourd Project (connecting music to plant biology, sound physics, and instrument-building) and multi-platform learning tools including the Behind the Strings book and documentary film, the latter produced in partnership with Pegasus Media Project and awarded Best Documentary Short at the 2025 Urban Arts Film Festival.

The organization's product set spans core free instruction in guitar, harp, and other instruments; community concerts and Music Lounge events; an annual Behind the Strings Music Symposium; sound therapy services delivered via the City of Dallas Office of Arts & Culture Art in Healing Program; and leadership/workforce pathways that move students into teaching assistant and apprenticeship roles. There is no proprietary SaaS or technology platform; operations run on a Squarespace website with Eventbrite ticketing and email newsletter signups. Distribution is regional, executed through a decentralized network of embedded community partner sites staffed by named teaching artists (e.g., Emsy Robinson Jr., KJ Gray, Kierra Gray Thomas) rather than a centralized facility.

Swan Strings is funded entirely by donations — one-time and monthly at preset tiers of $10, $20, $30, $40, and $75, plus custom amounts — supplemented by a 2023 Dallas Foundation grant and in-kind support from partners such as D'Addario. No fees are charged to students. Governance rests with a small board (Interim Secretary Kendra C. Smith, Treasurer Zach Gallindo, Marketing Chair Daniel Acosta, Education & Programming Chair Brianne Sargent) under founding President Jess Garland. Outreach relies on community partner referrals, social media, Eventbrite listings, and founder-driven earned media including press features in Modern Luxury Magazine, Dallas Weekly, and Guitar Girl Magazine.

Name

Swan Strings

Legal name

Swan Strings

Website

https://swanstrings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Swan Strings is a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 by Jess Garland, providing free music education, community concerts, and sound therapy to underserved Black and Brown communities across North Texas through embedded classes at libraries, recreation centers, schools, and cultural centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Music Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

Keywords

• Free music education
• Community music programs
• Nonprofit arts education
• Sound therapy services
• Culturally responsive curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Swan Strings is a nonprofit organization funded entirely through donations. It offers one-time and monthly donation options at preset tiers ($10, $20, $30, $40, $75) or custom amounts. Donations can also be made via Zelle, GoFundMe, and an instrument donation form.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Swan Strings is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free music education (instruction, instruments, and performances), community concerts, and sound therapy services. Programs are embedded directly into community spaces such as libraries, recreation centers, cultural hubs, and schools across North Texas, eliminating financial and logistical barriers for participants. The organization has delivered approximately 1,000 hours of free music education to roughly 400 children and 50 adults since 2019.

Product overview

Swan Strings is a nonprofit organization providing a holistic ecosystem of free music education and community wellness services in North Texas. The core offering consists of free music education programs at community centers, libraries, and schools, complemented by sound therapy services and community concerts. The organization extends its reach through multi-platform initiatives including the Behind the Strings documentary film, Music Symposium, Music Lounge events, and The Gourd Project STEAM program. Additional offerings include the Behind the Strings Book Project and Leadership & Workforce Pathways Program, all designed to remove financial and logistical barriers while providing culturally responsive curriculum centered on Black women and musicians of color.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Music Education Programs Weekly in-person classes and instruction in guitar, harp, and other instruments delivered free of charge to children and adults at community centers, libraries, and schools across North Texas. Programs include instruction, instruments, and performance opportunities.
• Sound Therapy Services Sound therapy services delivered through performing artists as part of community wellness programming, available via the City of Dallas Office of Arts & Culture 'Art in Healing' Program.
• The Gourd Project Interdisciplinary STEAM program in which students grow gourds, study plant biology and sound physics, and build traditional instruments, integrating music education with science, engineering, agriculture, and sustainability.
• Behind the Strings Book and Film Projects Multi-platform learning tools comprising a book and a documentary film that extend music education beyond physical classrooms, providing accessible curriculum resources for educators, families, and communities while preserving cultural knowledge.
• Behind the Strings Documentary Documentary film titled 'Behind The Strings: Amplifying Black Feminism in Guitar Culture,' produced by founder Jess Garland in partnership with Pegasus Media Project, exploring the representation and intersectionality of Black women, girls, and femmes in Texas guitar culture.
• Behind the Strings Music Symposium Annual symposium event that brings together musicians and the community for educational programming and celebration of Black feminist perspectives in music.
• Music Lounge Events Community music events featuring performances and gatherings hosted by Swan Strings at various venues, serving as community engagement touchpoints.
• Leadership and Workforce Pathways Program Program enabling students to transition from participation into leadership through teaching assistant roles, apprenticeships, and exposure to creative careers in education, music, and media.

Quantifiable outcome

• Provided approximately 1,000 hours of free music education since 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Southwest Adventist Junior AcademycoreOthersPartner school hosting Swan Strings free music education programs as part of the community-embedded learning model.
• Raul Quintanilla Sr. Middle SchoolcoreOthersPartner school hosting Swan Strings music education programs in North Texas.
• South Dallas Cultural CentercoreOthersPartner cultural institution hosting Swan Strings programming for community members.
• Pleasant Grove Branch LibrarycoreOthersPartner library hosting Swan Strings guitar classes for teens and adults.
• Oak Cliff Cultural CentercoreOthersPartner cultural center hosting weekly guitar and music classes, including Saturday sessions with Jess Garland.
• St. Philip's School and Community CentercoreOthersPartner school and community center receiving music classes and instrument donations from Swan Strings.
• Lake Highlands School of MusiccoreOthersPartner music school in programming partnership with Swan Strings.
• At Last! BoardingcoreOthersPartner organization in programming partnership with Swan Strings.
• Pegasus Media ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwan Strings partnered with Pegasus Media Project to produce 'Behind The Strings: Amplifying Black Feminism in Guitar Culture' — an intimate, behind-the-scenes documentary by Jess Garland highlighting the diversity and intersectionality of Black women, girls, and femmes in Texas.
• Black Banjo Reclamation ProjectcoreOthersSwan Strings partners with the Black Banjo Reclamation Project for group programming, including banjo classes held at Oak Cliff Cultural Center on the first Saturday of each month.
• City of Dallas, Office of Arts & Culture — Art in Healing ProgramcoreOthersSwan Strings participates in the City of Dallas, Office of Arts & Culture 'Art in Healing' Program, providing sound therapy services through performing artists.
• She Shreds MediaminorOthersJess Garland partnered with She Shreds Media for press coverage and features in Guitar Girl Magazine and Kyser Presents Locals.
• D'AddariominorOthersD'Addario provided funding and supplies for Swan Strings through Jess Garland's artist relationship.
• Girls Rock Camp AlliancecoreOthersJess Garland serves on the Board of Directors for Girls Rock Camp Alliance. Swan Strings is affiliated with Girls Rock Dallas, a related organization founded in 2011.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• VH1 Save The Music Foundation: High-profile nonprofit restoring music programs in public schools. Addresses the same population gap as Swan Strings (access to music education in underserved communities) but at school-system scale via celebrity and corporate leverage.
• Berklee City Music Network: Berklee-affiliated network of free music education programs in underserved urban communities. Comparable tuition-free, community-embedded music education model with a more developed national framework and curricular rigor.
• Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation: Established national nonprofit that donates musical instruments and supports music education in under-resourced schools. Similar mission of expanding access to music instruction, with a much larger national footprint and institutional donor base.
• Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute: Major institutional music education division running nationwide programs such as Musical Connections for incarcerated and underserved populations. Comparable equity-driven music access mission at significantly larger scale and institutional depth.

Direct peers

• Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock): National nonprofit delivering free instruments and modern-band music education to under-resourced schools. Operationally similar in providing barrier-free music instruction to underserved communities, but at far greater national scale.
• El Sistema USA: Network of intensive music education programs serving underserved U.S. youth. Closely comparable to Swan Strings as a community-embedded, equity-first music education model targeting children without access to private instruction.
• Girls Rock Camp Alliance: International network of music camps serving girls and gender-expansive youth. Jess Garland sits on its Board, and Swan Strings is operationally affiliated via Girls Rock Dallas — making it a structural peer in the equity-focused music education nonprofit ecosystem.
• Black Banjo Reclamation Project: Community-rooted nonprofit focused on reclaiming Black string-music traditions through classes and gatherings. Swan Strings explicitly partners with this organization for banjo programming at Oak Cliff Cultural Center; both share a culturally specific, equity-centered approach to Black music education.
• Girls Rock Dallas: Dallas-based nonprofit providing free music education and instruments to youth, with a focus on girls and gender-expansive youth. Most directly comparable to Swan Strings: founder Jess Garland was recently appointed Executive Director, making the two organizations functionally sister entities serving the same city with overlapping mission.

Others

• D'Addario Foundation: Industry-aligned foundation funding sustainable music education programs. D'Addario is already a documented Swan Strings donor/supplier, making it a directly relevant adjacent funding peer and ecosystem enabler for equity-focused music education nonprofits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/swanstrings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swan Strings