Published on: 2026-10-07
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Among the charitable programs of Moscow’s non-profit organizations (NPOs) are initiatives where music becomes the main tool of assistance. For young talents, engaging in creativity and participating in concerts is a life calling, and for children with hearing and vision impairments, it is part of the rehabilitation process. The charitable organizations “Yaseneva Polyana,” “By the Call of the Heart,” and the Oksana Fedorova Foundation spoke about their wards and musical initiatives.
Music therapy for children with hearing and vision impairments
The charity organization “Yaseneva Polyana” helps parents who are raising children with severe hearing and vision impairments, including deafblind children. One of the organization’s areas of work is music therapy: the teacher plays the ukulele, and the children listen and sing along to songs from Soviet cartoons during group communication sessions. This way, children learn to control their behavior and express their emotions.
One of the program participants is Matvey. The boy started attending music classes before he was even three years old. He has been blind since birth and was initially very anxious during the classes. The first song that truly captivated him was a folk tune about birds — specifically, the part where one has to imitate the sound of a duck. The organization noted that imitating animal sounds often elicits a strong emotional response from children and encourages them to repeat what they hear. At first, Matvey pressed a button producing the bird’s voice, and then he began to make these sounds himself. Gradually, he learned the sounds of other animals, and later started to sing along with the songs.
The boy is now four years old. He can verbally ask to play his favorite song and sing it in full. Alexandra Anurova, the music therapist of the organization, said that Matvey inspired her to learn several new songs which he himself brought to the sessions from home. This is a clear example of how a learned skill transfers to a different environment and situation.
Assistance for young talents
Oksana Fedorova Charitable Foundation supports young musicians: organizes concerts, competitions, and master classes for them. As part of the cultural and educational project “My Russia: a musical journey,” the foundation helped Petya Berdnikov from Sochi several years ago.
The boy dreamed of playing the violin from the age of four, at seven he insisted on attending a music school and enrolled in the violin class. Since then, music has become the main focus of his life, and with it came a new dream — to study in Moscow. For this, the family decided to move to the capital.
Oksana Fedorova’s foundation helped the boy acquire a new instrument: thanks to financial support, Petya took the viola instead of the violin, and just a few weeks later went with it to a competition in Kazan and took first place, also receiving a diploma for virtuosity. Today, he studies at the Central Music School — Academy of Performing Arts, performs solo and as part of chamber ensembles, and also collaborates with renowned musicians.
A big stage for blind children
Diana Gurtskaya Charity Foundation ‘By the Call of the Heart’ since 2004, supports blind and visually impaired children. The organization helps children with disabilities to perform on federal stages and participate in the largest television projects alongside stars of the Russian pop scene. One of the foundation’s key projects is the international charity festival “White Cane.” Its finalists regularly become laureates of prestigious competitions and participants in shows such as “The Voice Kids,” “Blue Bird,” “Come on Everyone Together,” and many others.
“I dreamed of helping blind children uncover their abilities and find support and a means of self-expression through creativity. In childhood, like any child, it was important for me not just to feel cared for, but to know that my passions were valued and my efforts noticed. It was precisely this personal experience that helped me clearly understand how significant it is to give a child a space where their talent is seen and gently nurtured. This dream lived inside me for many years, gradually growing with meaning and plans, and finally in 2004 took concrete form — the creation of a charitable foundation to help blind children,” said Diana Gurtskaya, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, founder of the charitable foundation “By the Call of the Heart.”
One of the foundation’s wards is Sofia Stroganova. When the girl was only three months old, her family learned that she was blind. But this diagnosis did not become a sentence; rather, it marked the beginning of searching for and developing the young artist’s talents. Sofia is now nine years old and has been studying vocal mastery at the Diana Gurtskaya Social Integration Center for four years. Sofia has participated in, won awards, and received special prizes in all-Russian and international vocal competitions, as well as becoming a finalist in the “White Cane” festival and performing a duet on stage with singer Jasmine. The foundation’s ward became the first blind student admitted to the A.K. Lyadov Children’s Music School in the vocal jazz department, bypassing the standard two-year preparatory course.
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