The Vareille Foundation

Mission & Vision

Created in 2014, the Vareille Foundation aims to combat social inequalities and educational failures by encouraging public institutions to reform and improve existing systems for disadvantaged individuals. Their main initiative, “A Violon in My School”, aims to bring classical music to underprivileged children and ensure equal opportunities for all in schools, starting at a young age, with the ultimate goal of integrating the disadvantaged through employment.

Actions Led

“A Violin in My School” aims to give as many disadvantaged children as possible the opportunity to thrive in school by learning the violin between the ages of 4 and 8. The program is integrated into regular school hours and closely supported by teaching staff, who incorporate violin lessons into the core curriculum. These lessons become as essential as writing or any other academic subject.

Beyond academic success, the initiative seeks to bring families and schools together through music and a shared commitment to child development. Teaching very young children to play the violin–a highly demanding instrument–in intensive sessions has been shown to stimulate multiple areas of the developing brain. It enhances cognitive skills, concentration, language acquisition, and motor coordination, particularly during the crucial early years of childhood.

To assess its effectiveness, the Vareille Foundation has established robust impact measurement tools for “A Violin in My School,” in collaboration with research partners such as the CNRS, Sciences Po, and the Paris School of Economics.

Projects That U.S. Donors Can Support

Help combat social inequalities by supporting young children from disadvantaged backgrounds ! Your donations will help advance the mission of the Vareille Foundation, specifically the A violin in My School program, co-constructed by Swiss and French schools, with a strong neuroscience research component.