Our Mission

Where there is need, let there be action.
Where there are dreams, let there be a path.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything"

Plato

DUET Kids provides no-cost musical education, instruments, and digital music creation for at risk, underserved, and low-income students. Through partnerships cultivated within the public school systems, local emergency shelters, and after school programs for at-risk populations, DUET Kids has created a highly successful program: pairing young students with high school and college students in our Student Teaching Students Initiative to conduct private musical instruction.

Multiple studies prove that music helps heal trauma and create new brain synapses and connections. By engaging older student teachers with elementary-aged students, DUET Kids provides multiple opportunities in learning and pedagogy for Pre-K through College students.

Our Programs

Students Teaching Students Initiative

DUET Kids partners with a local, award-winning charter school, headed by Kelli Horton, and trains students to teach younger students from at-risk, 100% Title 1 funded, elementary schools to learn how to plan a musical instruments. This program teaches high school students majoring in musical instruments to learn valuable job skills, such as success in the application process and interviewing, in addition to teaching. After training, students are either paid an hourly wage or given community service hours.

The WW Law Center

One of our newest programs, the teaching at the WW Law Center offers as an after school opportunity for children in a low-income neighborhood to learn not just piano, but many other instruments as well including guitar, drums, and even chorus as well. Running through the summer, we will be offering these lessons for the children of Downtown Savannah who do not have the opportunities to access instruments or musical instruction.

The Hitch Village Project

Once of our amazing programs includes giving music lessons to elementary and middle school students at Hitch Village, a historic government housing project in Savannah, GA. These students rely only on programs that the state provides in their schools, so they are not provided access to one-on-one musical instruction. Hitch Village is a known gang-controlled environment, so DUET Kids has offered the children in this project the opportunity for piano lessons and chorus practice to escape potentially dangerous environments. Beyond these weekly after school lessons, DUET Kids has inspired the children in Hitch Village to continue their musical learning in the Savannah Jazz Academy.

Partnership with a Local Emergency Shelter

This past winter, DUET Kids' student teachers taught at a holiday-themed camp in a local emergency domestic violence shelter. These children were in crisis and transient living situations, and our teachers instructed children ages 6-12 on the basics of piano in order for them to learn holiday songs that they can play anywhere they encounter a piano.

DUETKids is less than 5 years old and has already made an enormous impact in at risk, underserved, low income students and in 100% Title 1 schools students.

Our Team

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Paige Morrison

Paige Morrison helped create the DUET Kids program for at-risk and underserved kids to bring access to private music lessons for students who do not have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.
As a teacher of 23 years, she has always been an advocate for musical studies. Paige insisted all three of her children learn piano, as it is the basis of learning a musical instrument. She holds a deep belief in the connection between brain development, cognitive aptitude, and academic success which has been backed by hundreds of studies proving this theory. Paige believes that every student needs musical studies to reach their highest academic achievements. Paired with her background in business and teaching, Paige has helped create DUET Kids alongside her daughters.

PRESIDENT

Faith Morrison

Faith Morrison is the founder of DUET Kids, which she started in her junior year of high school for her community service hours. She was a private music teacher when she approached the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) about teaching underserved students private piano lessons. Willing to teach at inner city schools and being familiar with this demographic, Faith started teaching hand picked students side by side in the classroom with the musical teacher at a 100% Title I Funded elementary school. She began with two students and by the time she graduated the next year, Faith had 40 students on a waiting list for her lessons. DUET Kids was created to meet the need of private musical instrument instruction in public schools that could not provide them because of the lack of programs for them.

VICE PRESIDENT

Grace Morrison

Grace Morrison is a co-founder of DUET Kids, and she currently curates the organization’s social media, assists with grant writing, and instructs piano in DUET Kids' programs. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in English and a minor in Mass Communication. Growing up, Grace played the piano and violin which kickstarted her love for music and instilled the importance of music in her life. While in college, Grace also worked with the women’s health-based non-profit, IAPMD Global, which solidified her devotion to the nonprofit sector. Her experience with DUET Kids as a piano instructor allowed Grace to see first-hand the impact that the DUET Kids’ programs and musical education has on the children that the nonprofit serves.

DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH

James Kirk

James Kirk is a native of Rochester, New York and the founder of the SCCPSS All-City Choral Festival. He earned his Bachelor of Music Concertation Piano Performance from Clark Atlanta University, where he also served as student director and accompanist for the Philharmonic Society. Mr. Kirk earned his Master of Music Concentration and Choral Conducting from Georgia Southern University. He has been teaching music in public schools for over 15 years. During that time, choirs under the direction of Mr. Kirk have place in national choral competitions and received ratings of excellence in local district festivals. Mr. Kirk has been a choir clinician and currently serves as the Minister of Music at Central Missionary Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia.

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Kelli Horton

Kelli Horton is the Director of Piano, Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah Chatham County Public School, and she is one of our most important members of DUET Kids. Kelli joined our mission in September of 2021 and joined the board of DUET Kids in January of 2022. Kelly recruits student teachers for our Students Teaching Students Initiative within the school system, and has created her own pedagogy for training her students in how to teach at risk, trauma affected students. Kelli spent 4 years traveling to low-income areas in India,Thailand, and other countries, and has learned first hand how a simple program can change a trauma affected child’s life.

OUR TEACHERS

Currently our student teachers are piano majors at Savannah Arts Academy (unnamed for privacy of minors) under the direction of Kelli Horton SAA Director of Piano and James Kirk SCCPSS New Hampstead Music Teacher.
We have also recently hired a group of accomplished and recent college graduates who all obtain various degrees of musical concentration to teach at our newest program taking place at the WW Law Community Center.

Savannah Morning News

“Providing opportunity: DUET Kids brings free, accessible piano lessons to Savannah children."

Connect Savannah

"DUET KIDS: music lessons for underserved communities."

Voyage Savannah

“Inspiring Conversations with Paige Morrison of DUET Kids.”

Interested In Teaching?

DUET Kids welcomes community teachers and the musical community. We require background checks and safety guidelines to be followed by all of our volunteers and staff to provide a safe community for the children learning in our program.

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Help Fund Our Mission

DUET Kids works alongside community centers, emergency shelters, and low-income area schools to provide children with the opportunity to learn music and develop their growing brains. Making this possible is done not only by our wonderful staff and volunteers, but also by people like you.

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