Guitars Over Guns is turning back the clock to the 1990s this Saturday, hosting its annual Choose Your Sound: Everybody Dance Now gala at the Hilton Miami Downtown. The Miami nonprofit, which uses music and mentorship to support young people, will use the night to raise money, honor a longtime supporter, and crown its Student of the Year — a graduate now headed to Berklee College of Music.
A Night of Performances, Auctions and Recognition
The gala runs from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, according to SocialMiami. The evening will include live performances, personal stories, dining, drinks and a live auction, as reported by Miami's Community Newspapers. SocialMiami's event listing separately describes electric performances from Guitars Over Guns students, mentors and alumni along with a silent auction, and the awarding of this year's Student of the Year.
That honor goes to Jeffrey Gerald, a Guitars Over Guns graduate and Berklee College of Music freshman, per Miami's Community Newspapers. The evening will also honor Sarah Feil Lewin as the 2026 event honoree, the same outlet notes, with the gala chaired by Alan Samuel Cohen. Regular tickets run $500 individually or $5,000 for a table of 10, with early-bird pricing set at $400 per ticket or $4,000 per table.
Music as Mentorship Since 2008
Guitars Over Guns was founded in 2008 and is described as an award-winning creative youth development nonprofit that empowers young people through music, mentorship and the arts for long-term success beyond the classroom, according to Miami's Community Newspapers. The organization pairs students with professional, trauma-informed teaching artists and creates safe creative spaces where young people feel seen and supported, the outlet reports. It currently has programs in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
Chad Bernstein, CEO and co-founder of Guitars Over Guns, said Choose Your Sound celebrates the organization's mentees and their creativity, confidence and impact, per Miami's Community Newspapers. He added that supporting the gala helps young people access mentors, creative spaces and opportunities to discover their voices. Proceeds from the event will support music and arts education, mentorship, mental wellness support, performance opportunities, youth agency and life skills.
Eddie Vedder Collaboration Adds National Spotlight
The gala arrives months after Guitars Over Guns mentees landed an unexpected national stage. Eddie Vedder mentored and worked alongside the group's mentees, and together they co-wrote and debuted an original song called “Better Believe,” according to Columbia College Chicago. The song debuted with a live performance during the Obama Presidential Center's Grand Opening Ceremony on June 18, with a studio version recorded weeks earlier at Columbia released afterward on streaming platforms including Spotify.
All royalties earned by Vedder and the song's co-writers will benefit Guitars Over Guns, according to a press release from Universal Music Canada. The partnership underscores the kind of outside attention the youth arts program has drawn as it has grown well beyond its South Florida roots.
Years of Reported Program Impact
Guitars Over Guns provides no-cost music instruction, mentorship and academic support at 16 school and community sites in Miami and Chicago, according to a profile from eTown. Recent evaluations cited in that profile found that more than 90 percent of program students improved their academic performance, overall conduct and decision-making skills. An earlier accounting from The Miami Foundation, tied to Bernstein's 2019 Ruth Shack Award, reported that 99 percent of students served had graduated on time and more than 90 percent reported improved decision-making skills and self-esteem.
Exact student-reach figures have varied across sources and years — eTown reported the program had served more than 2,700 students over the preceding decade, while The Miami Foundation's 2019 writeup put the figure at more than 3,000 students reached over the prior 10 years. The organization's growth has been documented over time by Miami New Times, which once covered a Guitars Over Guns benefit concert at the Fillmore Miami Beach meant to raise money for instruments and expand the program into additional schools, featuring performances by Locos por Juana, Tony Succar and the group's own students.
Saturday's gala continues that same fundraising tradition, just with a 1990s theme and a new generation of mentees taking the stage at the Hilton Miami Downtown, located at 1601 Biscayne Blvd.
