“The Spirit of God,” “I Believe in Christ,” “Hark, All Ye Nations!” These melodies carry with them
unequaled spiritual power. They teach, they touch, they transport. Some, like “Battle Hymn of the
Republic,” have helped win wars. Others are hummed in quiet moments between mother and infant.
Music truly is a lifeline that connects us to the divine.
The Harmans knew this. They also knew that for countless Latter-day Saint congregations worldwide,
music was at best played off of a damaged, tinny speaker. At worst, it wasn’t there at all. Jack and
Wauna Harman decided to change that. Their solution? The Harman Music Education Fund.
In 1999, $50,000 was set aside for the provision of keyboards to Latter-day Saints worldwide. Across the
years, the Harmans kept contributing. In 2001, the fund increased by $100,000, then more and more
until it reached over $2 million. The fund is perpetual in nature. The interest on the initial amount is
such that youth can keep receiving musical instruments indefinitely.
Thanks to the Harmans’ vision, the keyboards aren’t just collecting dust. Their approach embodies the
BYU Continuing Education mission. To receive a keyboard, an applicant must work through a
predetermined music packet, demonstrating that they’ll benefit the world with what they’ve learned.
“When they’ve mastered it, they send an application for a keyboard,” says Rob Holcombe, director of
BYU Continuing Education Events. “I receive all the information from my contact at the Church. I send
them a certificate, and they get the keyboard.” Thanks to the visionary structure of the fund, recipients
are already adept pianists. The gift they receive is also a gift they’re able to give to their communities.
Recipients are vocal about the program. A Ghana stake president expressed his thanks in a letter to
Lynda Benson, one of the program’s facilitators.
As a lover of hymns, I am a witness to the significant role piano and hymns play in our meetings.
[We must] acknowledge the negative impact of the absence of pianists in our units all over the
stake.
The piano is now in the hands and at the homes of the learners. Members are now motivated.
Those attending the in-person [lessons] are more than expected.
Another letter, this one from a senior missionary, also held deep gratitude for the program’s impact.
When my husband and I arrived here, I was asked the first day to play the piano. I quickly
discerned that the branch lacked in members with the ability to play. Only one branch member
could play the piano, and he would be leaving for the university within the year.
Six weeks into the keyboarding class, we held a recital. I wanted them to feel successful in the
progress they had made so far. The recital far exceeded my expectations. Each class member
chose a hymn and played one verse as a solo, then in the second half of the program, played it
again while another class member conducted with the audience singing. It was a magical
experience. I cannot describe what happened. The Spirit was with each of them that night. They
are truly on their way to being music leaders.
The Harman Foundation’s funding has certainly blessed this tiny part of the Church, and we are
so grateful and appreciate your support.
Lynda Benson, the fund’s administrator since 2010—and its advocate since long before then—has a
unique overview of the program’s power to change lives. She initially heard of it during her time as a
music service missionary, and it struck her from day one. Working with local leaders, she’s implemented
the program in communities on two of the missions she’s served. “In Chile, I taught the choir director,
and she would go home and teach her five children what she learned each week. It spreads. It's not just
the student that [learns]. They help each other,” Lynda says.
Lynda has seen the fund enhance more than just musical abilities. Lives have been transformed. One
experience stands out: “There was one [woman] that I taught. Her son was a bishop, but she had been
in an accident and had become less active. At first, she would try to sing along with what she was
playing, and she always got it wrong. As she got better, even if she made a mistake with her hands, she
would sing it right. [After coming home,] I got an email from her. She was going to the temple. That’s
what playing hymns did for her.”
The program’s impact is taking off. In previous years, the number of keyboards delivered annually
hovered in the low hundreds. In 2024, that number jumped to 1,401. The keyboards are the ultimate gift
that keeps on giving. They’re an ideal expression of the BYU Continuing Education mission; the program
fosters continual learning with the sole purpose of giving back to the world. Thanks to the generosity,
vision, and foresight of the Harmans, the Music Education Fund has a future that is as promising as that
of the young pianists it’s creating.