Buffalo & Brandy Inc

About Buffalo and Brandy Inc.

As Buffalo and Brandy Inc, our purpose for raising funds through grants and donations is to continue bringing our programs to all children including the economically disadvantaged, marginalized, and persons with disabilities. Our programs immerse children in the art of interactive, group music-making. Through our hands-on, participatory program, children not only discover the basics of sound and how to use it to make music, their participation also aids in inspiring creativity, enhancing social skills, relieving tension and stress, building confidence, learning how to collaborate with others, and in general, it helps build important life skills - all while HAVING FUN!!

Here is our story:

As Buffalo and Brandy, Ken (Buffalo) and Mary-Ann (Brandy) began performing Top 40 and country music in the late 1970s. They have been fortunate to have traveled and performed with many top performers. Ken has been a percussionist since his teens and has studied and always had an interest in electronic music. He became a pioneer using an Amiga computer on stage for performances in the 80’s. Mary-Ann started taking piano lessons at age 4, continued with music throughout her teens, graduating from college with a BA in vocal performance. Together, they landed two original songs on the Top 100 Country Charts.

In the late 1980’s, Ken and Mary-Ann were asked to develop a musical program for the Oneonta (NY) elementary schools. The challenge was accepted. The program we developed would be about the dangers of using drugs. We presented a high energy concert for the children and performed Top 40 songs they could relate to. During the concert, we wove subtle messages between songs, including how real entertainers could not survive the rigorous schedule of an entertainer if they were using drugs. Our program became a huge success. As a result of our program’s success, a division of the New York State Police Department decided to enlist the use of their STOP-DWI (driving while intoxicated) funds (money each of NYS’s then 62 (sixty-two) counties received when drivers are fined for DWI). These funds could only be used for education and prevention. With funding provided by the NYS STOP-DWI program, we performed in hundreds of schools all across NYS. Eventually, NYS began diverting these funds to other needs and the funding for education and prevention dried up.

Although funding for our program fell off, the demand was still there. Schools tried to fund our program on their own, but school budgets were tight. 

It was suggested to us that if Buffalo and Brandy were to incorporate, we could apply to have a non-profit, 501 (c-3) status. Once done, we would be eligible to apply for grants and to receive donations. We saw this as an opportunity for us to keep presenting our programs with the intent of helping young people to succeed in life. Of course, this turned into a long, slow process. We needed approval by NYS, the NYS Department of Education, and the federal government. While stepping through this process, we came across a new concept of interactive, recreational drumming where the attendees were part of the program. The program was geared toward health and wellness. We saw the potential for this to be successful for kids as a means of building confidence, community, and so much more. Hence, we attended a training program for drumming at Purdue University. 

While still waiting for our 501 (c-3) status to become a reality, another opportunity came our way. We found ourselves being presented with an opportunity for training as a Teaching Artist in Greenville County (South Carolina) and working in the underserved Greenville County Schools! A Teaching Artist is tasked with using their art form (in our case - music and percussion) to help teach children the core curriculum (Math, Science, English Language Arts (ELA), and Social Studies.) We chose to accept this opportunity and were trained in the Kennedy Center teaching artist protocol by the Chicago Arts Partnership through the Metropolitan Arts Council of Greenville, SC. Once trained, we integrated our program into the elementary and middle schools in Greenville county. We witnessed how our approach with music made a huge impact when reaching special needs children at their level. It seemed that wherever we implemented our program, we were able to immediately draw kids in. We believe the biggest reason was because we made it fun to learn. Funding for this program lasted into 2004.

By 2004, all aspects of our application for non-profit status cleared and Buffalo and Brandy Inc. was officially approved as a non-profit 501 (c-3) corporation.

We were now excited to take our experiences and knowledge back to NYS and implement it by applying for available grants we could find. Our first big grant award enabled us to work with special needs children in the Lockport, NY schools. Another grant brought us into Albion, NY and Batavia, NY, again working with special needs children. We eventually expanded our focus to include programs in libraries and for other events throughout Western New York.

All of our programming stopped in 2020 when Covid hit.

In May, 2020, we came across Arts Services, Inc (ASI) of Buffalo, NY. This organization was offering to help artists get through the challenges presented by the Covid crisis. They became our ‘light in the darkness’ during a very trying time and have continued to help us get back on our feet. We have also partnered with funding through the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Arts & Culture Initiative administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, as well as NYSCA (New York State Council of the Arts). 

As a result of Covid, it has become apparent that young people are facing new issues such as anxiety, depression, and bullying. Some are also having trouble socializing, in addition to struggling with schoolwork. We feel we can help these young people by implementing programs using interactive arts in a fun and inviting way. We believe that our program coupled with intervention programs, can help solve these problems.  

We have recently found “Give 716” - a fund-raising initiative for non-profit corporations in collaboration with the Buffalo Bills Foundation and Buffalo Sabres Foundation. The ‘Give 716’ - 36 hour fundraising event kicks off at 7:16pm on July 16, 2023.

If you feel you would like to be part of this event while helping support us and our initiative of helping children, we would be grateful for your donation. We look forward to furthering this new, exciting fundraising partnership! 

We are so fortunate to live in Western New York where these organizations exist! 

Our Mission is “To provide quality, musical arts programs and presentations using original music, song, and interaction while creating a fun, engaging atmosphere - all adapted for multiple intelligences and diverse populations and aimed at enhancing self-esteem, self-worth, and stress reduction, plus a love for the arts and creativity.”