A little about HM and why we're raising money

Heartland Marimba has become a leader in its industry in a multitude of ways. Not only have we developed the first-of-its-kind business, but we are actually creating a real-world market for marimba performance and we are making an impact all over the musical landscape by providing many opportunities for artists, students, composers, and communities.

From several national tours with the HM Quartet and Ensemble, company-wide projects, more than 85 published scores by HM Publications, and a range of festivals, HM strives to bring a wide variety of programming to its public. While things are expanding and going well, we always need extra support for the work we are doing.

In addition to regular operating expenses, this campaign seeks to raise funds to assist with expenses for several exciting initiatives including international partnerships and diverse recording projects.

Donor Perks!

We've planned some cool perks for our supporters. For nonpercussionists contributing $50 or more, we have t-shirts, CDs, stickers, signed (cracked) marimba bars, wine glasses, and tote bags to give away. For every $50 you donate you get to choose 1 item. A signed marimba bar is available for donations that are $250 and above.

And for percussionists and percussion educators...

We have planned a series of FOUR virtual master classes featuring our artists and composers! For individuals who donate $50, they will receive a ticket to one master class of their choice. To get access to all of these, you just need to donate $150. For school programs, donate $200 to receive 5 tickets to one master class of your choice, or donate $500 and receive 5 tickets to all of them.

Master class lineup (Dates will be announced in early 2025, classes will take place during the spring of 2025):

Performance practice – Phrasing and voicing control in transcriptions
Performance practice – Breakdown of Solo Marimba Classics (e.g. Dances of Earth and Fire, Khan Variations, Yellow after the Rain, See Ya Thursday, Dream of the Cherry Blossoms, etc. We'll take requests!)
Technique Builders – Rolls, rolls, and more rolls!
For Composers! - Making that amazingly rich and orchestral sound texture with a keyboard percussion ensemble.

Exciting projects to support this season and next.

The Heartland Marimba Orchestras annual concert cycle: Each winter we plan to bring together 20-40 mallet percussion players from around the country to celebrate what we do with communities in the Midwest!
The 4th Composer LabFest: Each season we try to host a workshop for serious composers of all ages to learn deeply about writing for our instruments.
School programs and community enrichment: In partnership with the Iowa Arts Council, HM is expanding its education and community outreach programming. We would like to do this in many communities around the heartland.

What We Need & Why

We are a performing arts non-profit, which means we rely on contributions to succeed!

All contributions go to the basic functions and expenses of the organization, including:

Paying our performers - Heartland Marimba musicians are paid fairly for their work.
Commissioning projects - Helping us continue to diversify the marimba repertoire.
Gasoline and lodging costs - HMQ travels all over the country with their equipment!
International plane tickets - HMQ needs to fly to Germany this fall!
Domestic plane tickets - Our high level of artistry requires the highest level players.

The Impact

There are many exciting things happening for HM. We like to say we're creating a market for marimba performance. And, the great thing about your support here, is that you become part of that 'mover and shaker' approach. Another great thing is that this statement is completely true. We are an anomaly in our industry, with the positive force of supporters such as yourself and talented artists behind us. We're actually making progress with building an organization that is providing substantial opportunities for performers to practice their art form, for students to learn from those performers, for composers to collaborate with them, and most importantly, for many communities to enjoy what we do!

Risks & Challenges

The marimba is relatively new to the concert stage. There is only about a 100-year history of the instrument being included in the classical music scene, and most of the activity and development is in the last 50 years. Compared to many of the other instruments we are just getting started.

This is one of our biggest hurdles. At times, there is resistance to hiring marimba groups and players in the wider classical music world, but it's becoming less and less every year. We feel this sentiment regularly as we grow the company. We promote a young classical music instrument in a chamber group setting and have a multi-faceted organization. All of these elements are challenging, and finding funding to support this can be even more challenging.

Your help here does wonders on multiple levels. Not only will the funds go to supporting our activities, but we are inspired even more knowing that we have another marimba fan out there!

Other Ways You Can Help

We always appreciate interaction on social media, sharing our website and videos, and chatting with us. We would love to see you at a concert in the near future and get a chance to meet you. Please sign up for our newsletter. And, if you are a musician, please explore our publications site.

Thank you!

Heartland Marimba's Year End Giving Campaign

Support HM's annual Marimba Orchestra initiative and more!

Team Members