Country of Residence
United States
Age
16
Project title
Arturo Healing Hearts
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Arturo Healing Hearts connects young instrumentalists and vocalists with hospitals, rehabilitation centers and veterans’ homes, where they provide live, one-on-one musical experiences that bring comfort and human connection to patients, families and healthcare staff.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
www.arturohealinghearts.org; https://www.linkedin.com/in/ava-costa-6513b3404/ @arturohealinghearts (instagram and tik tok)
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Scaling (We’re expanding impact to new locations or in new and innovative ways)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
In 2025, I began volunteering as an ordinary hospital volunteer. In the course of my first week, I was asked what I enjoyed doing. I responded that I played the violin. When I was asked if I was any good, I replied, "I believe I am!" Subsequently, I was asked if I would be amenable to play for patients and hospital staff. I, of course, said yes without hesitation. After spending the day performing, I went home unable to stop reflecting on the experience. I wondered why there wasn't more live music in healthcare facilities for patients, loved ones and the staff. I also wondered why these opportunities had to hinge on paid professions. Why couldn't volunteer musicians contribute? Additionally, why couldn't young musicians in middle and high school be granted a structured avenue to contribute their talents? That was my "Aha!" moment. I realized that music didn't have to be confined to concert venues or competitions. It could become a method of contributing and young musicians didn't have to wait until adulthood to make an impact. The wheels began turning and what began as an unanticipated day of performing evolved into the vision for Arturo Healing Hearts. I named the initiative after my violin, Arturo because it was through [him] that I uncovered the purpose behind the initiative: connecting young musicians with individuals in healthcare through live music.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Healthcare and other care facilities can be stressful, alienating, and mentally taxing for patients, loved ones and healthcare professionals. People might endure prolonged periods coping with illness, doubt, anxiety, or solitude, and even brief periods of personal connection can create a significant difference in their experience. Meanwhile, many young musicians want to apply their talents to serve others but have limited possibilities to do so in an impactful and accessible manner. Hospital volunteer programs frequently impose age constraints, conventional volunteering roles may not utilize a student’s unique strengths, and young people are not always empowered to regard their talents as tools for developing societal impact. I sought to tackle both of these needs: the need for increased human connection and emotional support in healthcare environments, and the need to provide young people purposeful avenues to contribute. I believe music can foster moments of solace, familiarity, happiness, and human connection for people coping with challenging hardships, while additionally demonstrating to young musicians that they do not have to wait until adulthood to make a contribution. Their abilities, creativity and empathy can already be used to serve people in need and enrich their local communities.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
My solution is Arturo Healing Hearts, a student-led initiative that unites young musicians with healthcare facilities and other treatment spaces where they can use live music to foster moments of solace, human connection and happiness. Instead of regarding music as solely entertainment, Arturo provides students a structured pathway to apply a skill they already possess for the benefit of others. I collaborate directly with medical and treatment facilities to identify suitable performance opportunities, recruit and interview/vet young musicians, help them get ready for the environment, and match them with opportunities where they can perform live solo music for patients, loved ones and healthcare professionals. The model is purposefully individualized and flexible. Musicians can perform in hospital atriums, infusion rooms, reception areas, rehabilitation facilities, oncology treatment centers, senior living facilities and other suitable care environments. For locations where in-person participation is challenging, Arturo has also created recorded music initiatives that can reach patients across more locations. An equally significant component of the model is empowering other young people. I do not want Arturo to be built around my own musicianship. I want Arturo Healing Hearts to grow into a platform through which a wide range of young musicians appreciate that their individual strengths can be tools for societal impact.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Until recently, Arturo Healing Hearts has transformed from my individual experience playing for patients into a student-led program mobilizing over 50 devoted young performers and volunteers. Arturo has cultivated opportunities for students to provide live music into healthcare centers and other clinical settings including RWJ Barnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, among many other veterans memorial homes, rehabilitation and senior living facilities. The program has also earned the 2026 Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award, the Junior League of Monmouth County commendation, a Joint Legislative Resolution from the New Jersey Legislature, the Middlesex County Board of Commissioners and the New Jersey Governor's award. Arturo has additionally created Arturo Unplugged, a blog that shares perspectives from young musicians and examines the connection linking music, service and healthcare. Arturo Amplified, a podcast featuring discussions with musicians, healthcare personnel and community changemakers. These platforms amplify Arturo mission beyond individual performances, heighten awareness of the purpose music can serve in care facilities and empower other young individuals to utilize their talents in service to others.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Live music in hospitals is by no means a new idea. What distinguishes Arturo is who leads it, how it functions and what it challenges young musicians to become. Many healthcare initiatives depend on professional and credentials musicians, prerecorded music or occasional concerts. Arturo cultivates a structured framework for middle and high school musicians to contribute their own talents. I work directly with institutions, recruit and screen students, help navigate the medical approvals and orientation protocols, and pair approved volunteers with compatible facilities. This transforms a young artist's desire to contribute into a responsible, sustained community service. Arturo also prioritizes personal human connection rather than performance alone. Musicians primarily play solo in hospital lobbies, rehabilitation and oncology units, veterans' care facilities among others. Without the distance of a conventional stage, they can respond to the environment around them and provide music in a manner that feels direct and deeply personal. The model generates impact in two ways. Patients, families and staff experience moments of solace, familiarity and joy while students learn that their gifts are not just personal achievements. Their talents can serve as vehicles of service and societal transformation. Arturo is not designed to rely on me. Students help engage others, embody the initiative in their communities, contribute insights and gradually accept greater accountability. Arturo Unplugged and Amplified expand that impact through reflection, awareness and broader reach. Arturo's innovation is not solely introducing music into healthcare. It is building a scalable youth-led model that empowers them into changemakers and performances into sustained community impact.
How many people are on your team?
50
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Our team encompasses more than 50 young artists and volunteers. I oversee collaborations, interviews, onboarding and scheduling, while team members (or ambassadors as I like to call them), perform, enlist peers, promote Arturo in their schools and communities, and provide perspectives for enhancing the program. I share leadership by inviting participants to assume ownership of their contribution, welcome new volunteers and help shape how Arturo evolves.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
During the next year, my goal is to transform Arturo from a thriving NJ initiative to sustainable youth-driven organization with the foundation to scale beyond the state. I will start by reinforcing our existing programs; by instituting recurring performance schedules at each partner facility, onboarding additional musicians and establishing local teams so no location relies on one volunteer. Furthermore, I plan to establish a youth-governing framework in which seasoned members can recruit, mentor, coordinate with individual institutions and oversee Arturo chapters in their communities. To make the model scalable, I will construct standardized tools for recruitment, vetting, clinical onboarding, performance benchmarks and facility collaborations. This will enable students outside of NJ to develop Arturo chapters while complying withthe requirements of local entities and safeguarding the personal connection fundamental to our mission. I will strengthen Arturo's organizational framework by establishing its nonprofit structure, securing sustainable financial support and implementing systems to assess performances, participation, audience scope and collaborator feedback. My goal is not to make Arturo larger; it's to build a lasting enduring program that can be responsibly replicated across regions and equip generations of youth to transform their gifts into impactful service.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I want to encourage young people to recognize that becoming a changemaker does not necessarily originate with a huge idea. It can begin by looking at something you already feel strongly about or a talent you already possess and asking “How can I apply this to serve others?”That is what happened for me.I had been playing violin for years, but playing for patients helped me discover that something I felt passionate about could also transform into a means to serve others. I want to help young people discover that same connection with their own gifts.Through Arturo, I aim to provide young musicians greater avenues to assume responsibility, engage others, create new partnerships and in the future lead efforts within their own academic and neighborhood communities.I also want to share what I have learned through the Arturo blog and podcast including the obstacles, mistakes and realistic steps required in transforming an idea into something tangible. In the coming years, I would like to develop resources and mentorship opportunities that assist students discover needs in their communities and formulate their own solutions whether or not those solutions include music.I want young people to recognize that they don't have to wait until they are adults to generate change and impact.They already possess knowledge, skills and perspective that can create a meaningful contribution right now.
