About
Music Heals International Music Education Programs offers music education that includes concerts and fundraising concerts. The program also includes teacher training as part of its music education work.
Music Heals International (MHI) brings music and musicians to the children of Haiti and globally to inspire achievement, resilience and creativity. MHI works in partnership with J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO), Little Kids Rock, and local Haitian educators, and helps school and community partners deliver quality music education. MHI connects children with disabilities to music, self-expression and peers to promote inclusion and growth, and offers a unique approach to youth development and community building through music education. More than 1,500 young lives have been impacted by music education in Haiti, India, and Venezuela, and one in ten music students in Haiti participate in inclusive classes and live with a disability. One third of students engage in the program for multiple years to advance their music and leadership, and advanced students can participate in Teach2Reach, which trains them in Music Will’s Modern Band approach so they can become certified music instructors and teach neighborhood children in one-on-one and small group settings. An all-female band formed by advanced students is called Plezi Mizik au Feminin.
Music Heals International was launched after Founder and Executive Director Sara Wasserman volunteered in Haiti with J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) in 2012, and its 10th Anniversary was mentioned in 2023. Music Heals International is a U.S.-based nonprofit public benefit corporation and is exempt from federal tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. The leadership team includes Sara Wasserman (Founder and Executive Director), Betsy Zeger (Programs & Operations), Dennis Strazulo (Board President), Melissa Pegus (MHI Board Treasurer), and board members Tony Sauza and Pete Fisher.
Founder and Executive Director Sara Wasserman is a singer/songwriter, recording artist and producer who first began performing on tour with her father and Bob Weir’s band, RatDog, completed solo tours of the US and Europe, and released her debut album Solid Ground with collaborations from Aaron Neville, Lou Reed, Christian McBride, Stephen Perkins, Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman. She joined the Board of Directors of the Peruvian children’s orphanage Casa de Milagros in 2007. Programs & Operations lead Betsy Zeger is a Conflict Resolution and Communication Specialist, co-creator and co-trainer for the Community Boards Conflict Coaching Trainings, and has worked for 25 years as a manager/agent for composers in film and TV. For the past 15 years, she has worked as a mediator/facilitator, Certified Professional Co-Active Life Coach and Conflict Coach, teaches Peer Resource Classes in the Tamalpais Union High School District, helped bring the first 5 Wellness Centers to that district, and is a lobbyist for teen mental health issues through her work at JFCS in San Francisco.
Board President Dennis Strazulo has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years and serves as Managing Partner of Chicago-based O’Hagan Meyer’s Northern California law office in Sausalito. He received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication Arts/Mass Media Studies and English at the University of San Francisco, earned his Juris Doctor at the University of San Francisco, worked at KSFO radio station as Associate Promotion Director, appeared in a weekly segment on The JOB Talk Radio Show addressing employment law topics for Bay Area listeners, and is a Licensed Talent Agent. He is also a guest music writer for Mill Valley Living Magazine. Board member Tony Sauza taught secondary music in Los Angeles for eight years, is Senior Developer of Curricular Programs at Little Kids Rock, received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Ethnomusicology while minoring in Chicana/o Studies, earned his California Single Subject Teaching Credential in Music in 2010, and completed his master’s degree in Afro-Latin Music from California State University, Los Angeles in 2012. He is a multi-instrumentalist and has been playing guitar for over twenty years.
Board member Pete Fisher was Grammy-nominated in 2017 for Best Music Film for his work on “An American Saturday Night – Live From the Grand Ole Opry.” During his 30-plus years in the music industry, he has executive produced over 300 music-centric television episodes and specials, overseen all aspects of the Grand Ole Opry as VP/GM, served as CEO of the Academy of Country Music in Los Angeles, and executive produced the 52nd, 53rd and 54th ACM Awards on CBS.
A peer mentor in the program, Esther, shared, “I could not fathom that someone as young as me could be a mentor to other kids,” and said, “I want to be a role model for the kids.” Esther also said, “I want them to look at me and say: I want to be just like Esther. I want to be exactly like her,” and “What I’ve learned is whether you are gifted or not, you can do great things.”
Last updated May 20, 2026.
Music Heals International (MHI) brings music and musicians to the children of Haiti and globally to inspire achievement, resilience and creativity. MHI works in partnership with J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO), Little Kids Rock, and local Haitian educators, and helps school and community partners deliver quality music education. MHI connects children with disabilities to music, self-expression and peers to promote inclusion and growth, and offers a unique approach to youth development and community building through music education. More than 1,500 young lives have been impacted by music education in Haiti, India, and Venezuela, and one in ten music students in Haiti participate in inclusive classes and live with a disability. One third of students engage in the program for multiple years to advance their music and leadership, and advanced students can participate in Teach2Reach, which trains them in Music Will’s Modern Band approach so they can become certified music instructors and teach neighborhood children in one-on-one and small group settings. An all-female band formed by advanced students is called Plezi Mizik au Feminin.
Music Heals International was launched after Founder and Executive Director Sara Wasserman volunteered in Haiti with J/P Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) in 2012, and its 10th Anniversary was mentioned in 2023. Music Heals International is a U.S.-based nonprofit public benefit corporation and is exempt from federal tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. The leadership team includes Sara Wasserman (Founder and Executive Director), Betsy Zeger (Programs & Operations), Dennis Strazulo (Board President), Melissa Pegus (MHI Board Treasurer), and board members Tony Sauza and Pete Fisher.
Founder and Executive Director Sara Wasserman is a singer/songwriter, recording artist and producer who first began performing on tour with her father and Bob Weir’s band, RatDog, completed solo tours of the US and Europe, and released her debut album Solid Ground with collaborations from Aaron Neville, Lou Reed, Christian McBride, Stephen Perkins, Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman. She joined the Board of Directors of the Peruvian children’s orphanage Casa de Milagros in 2007. Programs & Operations lead Betsy Zeger is a Conflict Resolution and Communication Specialist, co-creator and co-trainer for the Community Boards Conflict Coaching Trainings, and has worked for 25 years as a manager/agent for composers in film and TV. For the past 15 years, she has worked as a mediator/facilitator, Certified Professional Co-Active Life Coach and Conflict Coach, teaches Peer Resource Classes in the Tamalpais Union High School District, helped bring the first 5 Wellness Centers to that district, and is a lobbyist for teen mental health issues through her work at JFCS in San Francisco.
Board President Dennis Strazulo has been a practicing attorney for over 30 years and serves as Managing Partner of Chicago-based O’Hagan Meyer’s Northern California law office in Sausalito. He received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication Arts/Mass Media Studies and English at the University of San Francisco, earned his Juris Doctor at the University of San Francisco, worked at KSFO radio station as Associate Promotion Director, appeared in a weekly segment on The JOB Talk Radio Show addressing employment law topics for Bay Area listeners, and is a Licensed Talent Agent. He is also a guest music writer for Mill Valley Living Magazine. Board member Tony Sauza taught secondary music in Los Angeles for eight years, is Senior Developer of Curricular Programs at Little Kids Rock, received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in Ethnomusicology while minoring in Chicana/o Studies, earned his California Single Subject Teaching Credential in Music in 2010, and completed his master’s degree in Afro-Latin Music from California State University, Los Angeles in 2012. He is a multi-instrumentalist and has been playing guitar for over twenty years.
Board member Pete Fisher was Grammy-nominated in 2017 for Best Music Film for his work on “An American Saturday Night – Live From the Grand Ole Opry.” During his 30-plus years in the music industry, he has executive produced over 300 music-centric television episodes and specials, overseen all aspects of the Grand Ole Opry as VP/GM, served as CEO of the Academy of Country Music in Los Angeles, and executive produced the 52nd, 53rd and 54th ACM Awards on CBS.
A peer mentor in the program, Esther, shared, “I could not fathom that someone as young as me could be a mentor to other kids,” and said, “I want to be a role model for the kids.” Esther also said, “I want them to look at me and say: I want to be just like Esther. I want to be exactly like her,” and “What I’ve learned is whether you are gifted or not, you can do great things.”
Last updated May 20, 2026.
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