THE Tina Insanally Foundation Inc. (TIF) is a legally registered not-for-profit organization established in 2010.
The TIF was inspired by the life of Tina Insanally, a young musician, who regularly volunteered to work with disadvantaged children. it works to enrich the lives of Guyanese children through music education.
TIF believes that music can make a difference in the lives of young people: “We believe in its potential to promote learning, to encourage healing; and generally, to enrich the lives of children, who otherwise have few opportunities for self-expression. In this way, music education can make a significant contribution to personal and community development. This potential is well recognized around the world, including in neighbouring countries like Venezuela, which invests in the Sistema Programme as a means of combating poverty.”
TIF contributes to the IDB’s goals of restoring and preserving cultural heritage by providing music education to children.
Guyana’s rich musical heritage is threatened by the absence of music in schools. This is largely as a result of the scarcity of trained music teachers and the high costs of musical instruments in Guyana.
Many children in Guyana have never been exposed to music in a formal way, and are unaware of the musical contributions of Guyanese past and present. It is TIF’s goal to change this by the following means:
working with established music teachers to provide lessons at no cost to children; and recruiting and training talented Guyanese musicians to provide lessons at no cost to children.
Many Guyanese musicians have limited formal music training, so TIF has developed a proven methodology and curriculum to enhance their capacity to provide formal lessons for piano and guitar. TIF also provides a stipend, or fee, for the services of these teachers, as the body believes that if it demonstrates that teaching music can be financially and spiritually rewarding, it would be critical for reviving formal music training in Guyana.
TIF currently works with seven (7) music teachers, and provides music education to more than 100 students from schools and institutions throughout Guyana. These include: St. Ann’s Orphanage at Thomas Street, Georgetown;         St. John’s Bosco Orphanage at Plaisance, East Coast Demerara; the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre at Carmichael Street, Georgetown; the David Rose School for the Handicapped at Thomas Lands, Georgetown; and the        St. Ambrose Primary School at Alberttown, Georgetown.
TIF’s initial focus is on reaching children living in depressed communities and residential care institutions, who are unable to pay for music lessons.
TIF’s achievements to date are as follows: A fully-operational Studio and Music School located on the third floor of Guyenterprise Advertising Agency.
TIF’s Georgetown location is equipped with computers, Internet access, a printer and teaching boards and instruments including a piano. It is utilized for individual and group lessons in piano, guitar and vocal performance, and for students’ practice time.
It established satellite locations at Lovely Lass, West Coast, Berbice,
hosted an ‘Introduction to Music’ workshop in a one-day public event, and introduced 40 children aged between three and 16 to age-appropriate musical activities.
It Staged 2010 and 2011 Christmas Concerts, featuring performances by TIF students and teachers at the Theatre Guild. These activities were nationally televised on Christmas and Boxing Days. Tickets were distributed primarily to children, free of charge.
It also hosted ‘An Evening with Friends’ 2011 and 2012 fund- raiser dinner and concert, featuring TIF teachers and volunteers. These activities attracted over 200 supporters.

Funding support
TIF was established with funding and donations provided by the Insanally family.
Corporate and individual donations are solicited to cover the costs of producing the annual TIF Christmas concert, instructor fees and transportation costs for weekly music lessons provided to groups of students within the St. Ambrose Primary School and the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre.

TIF sponsors
Sixteen individuals or companies fund guitar or piano lessons for individual students from the St. Ann’s Orphanage, the St. John Bosco Home and the St. Ambrose Primary. The sponsorship fee of US$7.50 or GY$1,500 per student per  hourly lesson covers the instructor fee, transportation for students and costs of instruments and teaching materials. Currently, 32 students are sponsored.
TIF welcomes donations of new and used instruments.