Guitars Not Guns

On Saturday, September 10 at the George Mason Center for Performing Arts, Guitars Not Guns welcomes legendary acoustic folk‐rock artists Jonathan Edwards, known for his gold mega‐hit “Sunshine”, and Jessie Colin Young, who will perform with their bands for one night only in a benefit concert for the organization’s National Capital Area affiliate.

The fundraising concert, "Music Making a Difference", is a tribute to the essential role that music plays in society.
Guitars Not Guns (GnG) after‐school music and mentoring program is uniquely tailored for youth living under adverse circumstances –poverty, dysfunctional families or challenged communities.

GnG started in California in 2000; it opened in Northern Virginia in February 2006 in memory of an 18 year old Eagle Scout and aspiring professional guitar player who was tragically shot to death. Their first class was seven students at an Alexandria Boys & Girls Club. Today they operate as the National Capital Area affiliate (GnG NCA); serving over 350 students annually at 32 different locations throughout Washington DC and the neighboring counties in Virginia and Maryland.

GnG NCA serves middle and high school youth in their communities; bringing programs into the neighborhoods where they live is a proven way to improve both the lives of these youth and the community within which they live. Class locations include Boys & Girls Clubs, Community Centers, low income housing projects and special education schools. The program is free to all qualified students. Participants are loaned a guitar and one hour classes are held weekly throughout the school year. Once students pass the beginner’s class they are awarded that guitar to keep, invited back to learn more and help teach new students entering the program.