FROM THE TOP GUITAR CENTER MUSIC FOUNDATION I VALEISHA BUTTERFIELD
INTERVIEWED BY KATIE KAILUS
HOW DO YOU START YOUR DAY? I’m a mother of two young boys, and my day normally starts around 5:30 a.m. I like the first 30 minutes of each morning to be in silence — just drinking coffee, looking at my schedule, and getting myself centered and balanced for the day. Then the madness of the morning really begins, getting my boys up and out the door for school. I live deep in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and very fortunately for the area, there’s not a lot of traffic, so I can get to the office within half an hour. Then my day is full of talent meetings, label meetings, and conversations about laying the groundwork for the future of the foundation. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE GUITAR CENTER MUSIC FOUNDATION’S MISSION? Guitar Center and its dedicated school music division, Music & Arts, operate more than 550 retail stores across the U.S. Even if you’re like me and grew up in a little town in North Carolina, you know about Guitar Center and there’s one in driving distance, which is amazing. The Foundation is a separate entity — the non-profit foundation arm of Gui - tar Center. At the Foundation, we are responsible for putting instruments into the hands of young people who might not otherwise have access to them. HOW DO YOU DO THAT? Every quarter, we accept applications from schools and non-profits, generally kindergarten through twelfth grade, who are in need of instruments. We are able to give grants up to $5,000 per school or organization to support students on a path to a music career. In the U.S., roughly 75% of schools have a music education program of some sort, but participation rates in those programs can be cut in half due to lack of instruments on hand for students to use. That’s the big problem that we’re trying to fix. HOW DO YOU SOURCE THE FUNDING FOR THE FOUNDATION’S GRANTS? A large portion of our funding comes from Guitar Cen- ter’s retail stores around the country. When customers check out, they can choose to round up their bills and have that money go to the Guitar Center Music Founda- tion as a donation. It’s been a great campaign, and early in my time with the Foundation, I wanted to test it out myself. I spent a day at a Guitar Center store work- ing in the stock room, working the cash register, work-
ing the floor for eight hours — and I made the pitch at the end of each transaction to ask if customers would consider rounding up to help put more instruments into young people’s hands. It was great seeing customers’ enthusiasm and support. We raise funds in other ways, including an annual gala that last year honored Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who are old friends of mine. Funds raised help further our mission of connecting children with instruments and encouraging their interest in music. DID ACCESS TO MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND EDUCATION MAKE AN IMPACT ON YOU GROWING UP? If it weren’t for music education and teachers when I was a kid, I wouldn’t be here. I played clarinet and piano as a young person for many years — though I don’t profess to call myself a musician! I did know, as early as age nine, that I wanted to work in the business of music. As a kid growing up in rural North Carolina in the 1980s and 1990s, that was unfathomable. I had to be a doctor, lawyer or teacher — and being engaged in the music business was not widely understood or supported. My musical learning helped me discover what I wanted to do, and it helped me gain the confidence to pursue music business as a career. THAT DIRECTION HAS CLEARLY PAID OFF FOR YOU. I’ve been in this business since 1996 and it never gets old. Every day I feel more alive, and this new chapter for me and the Foundation makes me feel like a kid again. Every day, I’m going to our fulfillment center, talking to schools, talking to artists, and looking at in- struments. I’m just thankful to be doing what I love and putting instruments into the hands of young people. It’s a dream come true. WHAT’S NEWEST AND MOST EXCITING FOR YOU AT THE FOUNDATION RIGHT NOW? Right now, I am most energized by the calls that keep coming in. I’ve been working in foundations for a long time, and a lot of the work comes down to constant pitches and outreach — so I’ve been pleasantly sur- prised that artists, labels and others keep calling us and wanting to help. Everyone has a Guitar Center story, and there’s been so much excitement and purity in hear- ing these stories and having these conversations. Adam Blackstone, who has been music director for so many great artists, told me his first job was as a Guitar Center cashier. Bryan-Michael Cox, who is a 10-time Grammy
30 I MUSIC INC. I NOVEMBER 2026
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