Armed with a life time of experiences and driven by a passion for music, Chuck Murphy began his winding road to Music and Kids in January of 2000 when he moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.  His goal at the time was to start submitting music to music supervisors and directors for movies and TV to make a name for himself in the music industry.  Instead, he found himself on a detour born out of the same necessity so many artists face, the need to make money, so he started a small publishing company selling photography online. 

Even though this detour was a profitable one, the urge to play music overtook him and he formed the band Big Coyote. After about three years of playing and trying to find the right mix of guys with the level of talent needed, he had a band. In 2015, Chuck released the record “Peace Be With You”, which took him and the band to a new place. 

His first single “How Many Times” got 86,000 listens on SoundCloud in the first 3 months. By early 2016, his song “Falling Star” was well on its way to 24 million listens, and it was clear that something was happening. The whole “Peace Be With You” EP was well received and hit #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart by August 2016. It hit #3 on the Folk/Americana Chart and stayed on the charts for 13 weeks. 

After 40 years of living with a passion for music, people were finally listening to Chuck’s music. This was the first time Chuck truly knew people were hearing his voice. Chuck realized there was power in the way people were now seeing him.

Chuck decided that he wanted to make real changes in the lives of young people, so he started taking invitations to speak and perform for young people and nonprofits. The more time he spent with young kids, the more he realized the youth of today are not getting what was offered to him in school – music classes and instrument lessons. The one thing that saved Chuck as a kid was music and the storytelling in the songs he was hearing. 

The more time Chuck spent with kids listening to their questions, he found they all have the same kind of issues and fears that Chuck did and sometimes still does. The difference now was their questions weren’t falling on deaf ears. Their questions were getting answers and the smiles came.

The idea of Music and Kids was born.  The goal of Music and Kids is to have music and instrument programs that are one-on-one, with qualified instructors, fully funded by the program, so each individual child can get the maximum benefits from the time they are spending with us, regardless of their financial situation.

As a senior executive with more than two decades of experience, Stephanie Duckworth provides services in Education, Media Relations, Non-Profit Management, Leadership Training, Sales, Business Development, & Marketing.   

Stephanie Duckworth has a proven track record of being an exceptional manager of resources and of grant processes, with proven success in administering over $50M worth of grants. She has also provided corporate training to several Fortune 500 companies, including Johnson and Johnson, Ford Motor Companies, Viacom, Marriott International and Coca Cola. 

As a Native American woman, Stephanie is committed to inclusiveness, with the ability to work effectively with diverse groups and key community leaders and organizations; utilize excellent public speaking, written communication, and interpersonal skills in establishing and cultivating strategic partnerships and key alliances.  She has worked with countless Native American Tribes throughout the United States in strategic planning, development and training.

​She has held the position of Executive Director of the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Bergen County New Jersey.  As an educator she has worked with some of the most prestigious institutions of learning including Princeton University, Rutgers University, St. John’s University, The College of New Jersey, Colorado Technical University and various NJ Community Colleges, teaching over 100 college classes. Her dynamic personality and positive attitude is an inspiration to all who come in contact with her.