When Mark Maxwell of Maxwell’s House of Music in Jeffersonville, IN started his social media series in 2024, he had no idea of the impact it would have on his community. His simple goal with the series known as “If You’re In A Band” was to start an open conversation that allowed for engagement among musicians. Fast forward to a year later, a 500% increase in social media engagement, hundreds of phone conversations and new store visitors from all over the world…including Kat Witten, founder of Music 4 Life, Blues 4 the Soul out of San Antonio, Texas.
After several months of correspondence, and a second visit from Kat Witten and her associates, she announced the generous donation to the Max Music Well Foundation, the 501(c)(3), affiliated with Maxwell’s House of Music community music education endeavors. They had been selected as a recipient of the Music 4 Life, Blues 4 the Soul Scholarship. The $20,000 scholarship, awarded by the San Antonio, TX-based organization, will provide a full year of music lessons and instruments to 10 deserving students at Maxwell’s House of Music.
The scholarship honors the memory of Will Witten, the late husband and veteran of the organization’s founder. Through this generous award, Maxwell’s House of Music will be able to serve students from veteran families or those facing financial or other barriers that make music education difficult to access.
The structure of this scholarship reflects the values it honors: commitment, growth, and reward. Each scholarship recipient will receive one full year of music lessons through Maxwell’s House of Music’s education department, along with an instrument that corresponds to their chosen lesson type (guitar, bass, keyboards, or drums). Students who complete the full year of instruction will be allowed to keep their instruments.
“This scholarship allows us to honor Will’s memory and dedication to this country by celebrating his passion for music,” said Kat Witten, founder of Music 4 Life, Blues 4 the Soul. “Music has the power to heal, inspire, and bring communities together — values that Will embodied throughout his service and his life.”
Mark Maxwell, co-owner of Maxwell’s House of Music expressed his gratitude for the partnership, “We’re dedicated to our community, in fact our motto is ‘we create musicians’. This scholarship amplifies that mission. Who knew that starting “If You’re In A Band” social media
posts would have this incredible impact on the community. There’s a lesson in this story for all music!”
Applications for the 2025-26 cohort are now closed. Applications for the 2026-27 cohort will open on the Maxwell’s House of Music website in the summer of 2026, funding permitting.
For more information, visit MaxwellsHouseOfMusic.com or MusicBlues4Life.com, or call 812-283-3304.
