Most people inherently understand that music is more than just background noise; it’s the heartbeat of a culture, a kind of emotional shorthand that lets us say the unsayable. But after speaking with Liz Stookey Sunde, co-founder of the nonprofit Music to Life, I realized something even deeper: music can be a lifeline for changemakers, and for communities in crisis.

Liz is the daughter of Noel Paul Stookey (you may know him as “Paul” of the iconic trio Peter, Paul and Mary), and she’s carrying forward and expanding his legacy of music and meaning—but she’s also carving out something new. Music to Life isn’t about nostalgia, it’s about now. It’s an incubator, a launchpad, and a community for artists who want to use their talent to drive real-world progress.

Music Can Create the Spark of Change…

Let me set the scene: Liz and her dad started with a shared mission to support socially conscious musicians, but they quickly realized that the music industry as it exists currently isn’t exactly designed to support changemakers. Seventy percent of independent musicians make under $10,000 a year—a staggering number, when you consider that these same artists are often the voices of their generation. They respond to crises, rally hope, and bridge divides in ways politicians and pundits never could.

That’s where Music to Life comes in. Liz and her team identify talented artists from diverse backgrounds (think hip hop, punk, classical, country, indigenous folk, and 30+ more genres) and help them turn bold dreams into tangible, sustainable projects that benefit their communities. It’s not about teaching musicians how to be activists—it’s about showing them that their lived experience, paired with their art, can become a powerful vehicle for healing and progress; and at the same time, they can put bread on their family’s table with confidence.

…All It Takes Is The Right Support

Liz shared story after story that made my heart sing. Take Greg, for instance: his vision turned instruments of violence into tools for peace, both literally and metaphorically. A classically trained percussionist, Greg came to Liz with an idea to turn decommissioned firearms into musical instruments, and Music to Life helped him develop a business plan, pitch to orchestras, and bring his idea to life. Now, he’s inspiring change, one beat at a time.

There’s also Jenny, a Native American artist and tuba player from Arizona who dreamed of reviving marching band culture on her reservation. Liz helped her and her neighbors see how music could be more than performance—it could be community building, leadership training, and even a tool for preventing youth disconnection and despair.

Then there’s the insightful punk rocker: At first glance, Liz mostly just saw purple hair and shredded jeans, screaming into a mic (with a voice that made my Midwestern sensibilities blink twice as well) But as she listened again, she looked deeper, it turns out that this artist was proposing a wonderful innovation: she wanted to develop a national training curriculum to help concert venues create safe, welcoming spaces for all people—especially those who don’t feel always safe in public gatherings. 

Her art became activism; her passion became a program; and her genre was the very thing that allowed her to understand how to meet this specific need.

And I can’t leave out Benny, a hip-hop producer who created a mobile recording studio that crosses gang boundaries in Toronto, picking up youth from rival neighborhoods and helping them collaborate on tracks. Violence in those communities is going down, connection is going up, and it’s all because one man and one dream was able to get the right support behind him.

Musicians Can Do More Than Benefit Concerts

What I find most striking about Liz’s work is that it shows how really accomplished artists can go well beyond the benefit concert model that so many of us associate with music and giving back. Instead, Music to Life invites artists to create win/win scenarios in the way they structure making a living—and in the end, their efforts and impact can go a lot farther. 

Music to Life helps them build long-term solutions, not just moments of awareness—and most importantly, it’s not just the artists who benefit; communities do too.

The programs born through Music to Life address everything from gun violence to addiction recovery; from youth empowerment to cross-cultural understanding. Often, these solutions come from people who are already living the problems—who know exactly what is necessary to get out of them—they just need enough support to scale their ideas.

Bottom Line: Liz and her team have found a sustainable way to ensure that music remains a bridge. 

You Can Help—Even If You’re Not a Musician

We’ve all felt it: the way a song can lift us out of despair, carry us back to our childhood, or give us the courage to say what we couldn’t otherwise speak aloud. What Music to Life is doing is giving people the training, tools, and encouragement to turn that bridge into a superhighway of change.

So what’s next? 

Music to Life is growing fast—because the need is huge! More artists want to be part of this. More communities are hungry for new ways to connect, to heal, to thrive—but like many of the people I’ve interviewed on the Conspiracy of Goodness Podcast, Liz didn’t spend much time talking about what she needs. So I’ll do it for her: If you know someone in philanthropy, someone in community health, education, or the arts—someone who sees the magic in possibility—point them toward Music to Life. This organization is a win-win-win: for artists, for communities, and for a world desperate for some good news.

• Website: Music to Life
• Video: The way we think about charity is dead wrong | Dan Pallotta
• Podcast: Noel Paul Stookey’s CoG Episode #202
• Documentary Mini Series: Country Music
• Video: Gangstagrass performing “Barnburner”

• 00:00 – Intro & Welcome
• 03:55 – Next Generation of Activism
• 08:44 – Meeting the Musicians
• 13:02 – Challenges in the Music Industry
• 21:15 – Break
• 23:32 – Shifting the Narrative
• 25:35 – Music as a Tool for Change
• 33:40 – Artist Development Process 
• 57:19 – Education, Art, and Healing
• 1:02:15 – Institutional and Corporate Partnerships
• 1:08:42 – Closing