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Early Life and Musical Background
John Beltzer was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to Moshe and Ester (née Grossman), Romanian Jewish refugees who were uprooted from their homes in the aftermath of World War II. Their love story began when Moshe, traveling alone on a train bound for a displaced persons camp in Germany, was captivated by Ester’s beautiful voice.
Later, they were secretly placed on a ship headed for Palestine, only to be intercepted by the British and sent to a refugee camp in Cyprus, where their daughter, Sara, was born behind barbed wire. When the United Nations formally divided Palestine, Moshe and Ester made their way to the newly established state of Israel, where they lived for five years.
In 1952, they moved to São Paulo, Brazil, following a promise that Moshe could be set up in the shoe business through Sara’s brother. That opportunity never materialized. Instead, Moshe and Ester spent the next 15 years working tirelessly—he selling engraved pens, and she as a seamstress—while adapting to an entirely new culture.
John and his fraternal twin brother, Julio, were born in 1959. One of John's earliest memories of live music was at a carnival celebration, where he was startled by the sharp, blaring horns of the brass section. His true love for music, however, took root when his sister, Sara, introduced him and Julio to the iconic Beatles film Help! This experience ignited their passion for music, which deepened when Sara later introduced them to Trio Esperança, a Brazilian sibling trio. Among their songs, John's favorite was "A Festa Do Bolinha."
With dreams of living in America, the family moved in 1967 to Brooklyn, New York, settling briefly in a four-story walkup. John and his brother couldn’t speak English and felt out of place. For three years, the boys had no friends except for each other.
In 1969, the family relocated to Queens, securing an apartment in the newly-built LeFrak City, a collection of highrises offering affordable rents. Moshe and Ester worked tirelessly and later, bought a home in Forest Hills, Queens. John and Julio’s passion for music never wavered. At 16, they began writing songs and formed a local cover band (called Cameon) that performed in the New York tri-state area. The band even enjoyed a minor local hit song titled “Picture Perfect Girl,” which John and Julio co-wrote.
Tragedy struck in 1984 when Julio died at the age of 24, an event that deeply affected John. In the wake of his brother’s death, John continued pursuing music to keep Julio’s memory alive. He formed a new band named Cinema, in which he served as lead singer. Cinema went on to appear on the television talent show Star Search in 1987, marking a notable milestone in John’s early musical career.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, John focused on songwriting: one of his original songs, “Holding On To Promises,” won third place in Billboard Magazine’s pop songwriting contest. By 1995, he had even signed a development deal with Elektra Records, although this record deal ultimately did not come to fruition.
Founding of the Songs of Love Foundation
In January 1996, John Beltzer experienced an “epiphany” while walking down a street in Forest Hills, conceiving the idea of a nonprofit organization that would create personalized songs for seriously ill children. Channeling the grief of his brother’s loss into a positive mission, John founded the Songs of Love Foundation later that year. He named the foundation after “Songs of Love,” an original song Julio had written and recorded just three months before his passing. The concept was both heartfelt and unique: instead of traditional forms of charity, Beltzer’s idea was to offer children battling life-threatening illnesses, including physical emotional disabilities, a personalized “song of love,” a custom-made song that incorporated each child’s name and favorite things to lift their spirits. By establishing this foundation, John transformed personal tragedy into what he calls “the medicine of music,” providing comfort and joy to children through music while honoring his brother’s memory.
The core mission of the Songs of Love Foundation is to craft free, personalized songs for children and teens facing serious medical, physical, or emotional challenges. Each song is professionally produced to match the child’s musical taste and includes personal details (like the child’s name, favorite people, pets, and activities) in the lyrics. These one-of-a-kind songs are provided at no cost to families and are intended to uplift the children, serving as a source of encouragement during difficult times . The foundation’s slogan, “the medicine of music,” reflects the idea that these personalized songs can have therapeutic effects, offering emotional healing and happiness to sick children when they need it most.
Growth and Impact of the Foundation
Since its inception in 1996, the Songs of Love Foundation has grown remarkably in scope and impact. Over the years, Beltzer’s nonprofit has delivered tens of thousands of personalized songs to children around the country. By the late 2010s, the foundation had reached over 33,000 children in more than 500 hospitals and health care facilities across all 50 U.S. states. (By comparison, an earlier tally noted nearly 25,000 children served as of the early 2010s, illustrating the rapid growth in subsequent years. The foundation has collaborated with over 300 children’s hospitals and organizations, and hospices nationwide, who refer patients that might benefit from a personalized song. Through partnerships with groups like Give Kids The World (a Florida resort for critically ill children on wish trips) and others, Songs of Love has been able to reach children far and wide, even helping families request songs via an online song request form during wish-fulfillment vacations.
The custom songs are more than just gifts or entertainment; they often serve a therapeutic role. Families and hospital staff have reported that these songs help alleviate fear, pain, and anxiety during medical treatments. Children frequently listen to their special song during hospital visits or procedures, for example, on car rides to the hospital or in the treatment room, to boost their courage and improve their mood. Medical professionals have noted that having a song written all about you can make a sick child feel uniquely valued and hopeful at a time when they feel frightened or isolated. This powerful emotional benefit underscores why the foundation’s work is often described as music therapy in action. In fact, the positive effects of Songs of Love have been compelling enough to be studied formally; a clinical study published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health (2024) examined the impact of these personalized songs on young patients, highlighting the foundation’s role in the broader context of arts in healthcare.
Notable Milestones
Under John Beltzer’s leadership, the Songs of Love Foundation has achieved several milestones in its nearly three decades of operation. Some key points include:
Expansion of Services: While the initial focus was on children and teens with serious illnesses, the foundation has more recently explored ways to help other vulnerable groups through personalized music. For example, in 2024 it launched the Songs of Love Memory Initiative, aiming to create personalized songs for individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s or other forms of cognitive decline, applying the same concept of musical personalization to trigger memories and joy in older adults. This expansion reflects how Beltzer’s original idea continues to evolve and find new applications in the realm of therapeutic music.
Cumulative Songs Created: By 2023, the foundation was regularly producing thousands of songs per year. It had set goals to create about 3,000 songs in 2019 and 4,000 in 2020 alone, ensuring a steady increase in total songs delivered. As of the mid-2020s, the total count of songs of love composed since 1996 is well over 45,000 songs (and still growing), representing tens of thousands of children’s lives touched through music.
Public Engagement: The foundation organizes community and fundraising events that involve music, such as the annual Songs of Love Swing and Sing Golf Outing and benefit concerts. These events not only raise funds to support the free song program but also spread awareness of the mission. For instance, a 2025 benefit concert in New York featured notable musicians (like the Anders Osborne Band) performing to support Songs of Love’s cause. Such events have helped build a community of supporters around Beltzer’s mission. The foundation also provides a unique team-building program called “The Songs of Love Experience” that engages company employees as well as other kinds of groups as they all add their voices on the choruses of “songs of love” for local children. For instance, employees from companies like Merck have integrated this program as part of their annual meetings.
Media Coverage and Public Recognition
John Beltzer’s work with the Songs of Love Foundation has garnered extensive media attention and public recognition over the years. As the unique and heartwarming nature of the foundation’s mission became known, major media outlets featured Beltzer and his team’s efforts.
Television Features: Songs of Love has been profiled on several national TV programs. Notably, in 2005, Dan Rather interviewed John Beltzer on CBS’s 60 Minutes, dedicating a segment to showcase how the foundation creates songs for sick children and the impact on those kids’ lives. The story introduced a broad audience to Beltzer’s mission, following the creation of songs for a few children and highlighting the emotional uplift it provided. Beltzer and Songs of Love have also been featured on the Today Show, Dateline NBC, CNN, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, and other news programs. These segments often show Beltzer working with children or recording songs, and they emphasize the positive, inspiring nature of the foundation’s work.
Print and Magazine Press: Beltzer’s initiative has appeared in prominent print media as well. People magazine, Parade, Biography, American Profile, and The New York Times have all written about the Songs of Love Foundation. For example, People and Parade (both high-circulation magazines) highlighted touching stories of children receiving their personalized songs and the difference it made during illness. The New York Times has also covered Songs of Love, bringing Beltzer’s story to a wide readership in the context of human-interest and healthcare innovation. These public mentions in print media have helped validate and celebrate Beltzer’s contributions on a national stage.
Special Recognitions: In addition to news coverage, John Beltzer has been invited to share his story on inspirational platforms. In 2008, he was featured on a Hallmark Channel special called Hallmark Heroes, where TV host Regis Philbin interviewed him during a Christmas program, shining a spotlight on Beltzer as a hero for sick children. Beltzer is also a sought-after public speaker, often appearing at conferences, charity events, and corporate gatherings to talk about his story and how he founded Songs of Love. His uplifting Songs of Love Experience is a thoroughly engaging interactive program and team-building exercise where Beltzer guides audiences in singing and recording a song for a local child in need. Through these engagements, he has spread awareness of his mission and inspired others to get involved in service.
Music Industry Support: The music community has recognized and supported Beltzer’s cause as well. A remarkable example occurred in 2001, when Itaal Shur, a BMI songwriter best known as the co-writer of Santana’s Grammy-winning hit “Smooth” volunteered with Songs of Love. Shur composed and recorded a personalized song for a 9-year-old cancer patient through the foundation, with John Beltzer personally delivering the CD to the child. This gesture by a Grammy-winning songwriter received media coverage and underscored the foundation’s reputation; it demonstrated how Beltzer’s work attracted talented musicians to contribute to the cause. Over the years, numerous artists and celebrities, including David Lee Roth, Joan Osborne, Nancy Sinatra, Angela Workman, Paul Dano, Bob McGrath of Sesame Street, even Elmo have lent their voices to a “song of love”, further amplifying its impact.
Legacy and Historical Context
John Beltzer’s journey with the Songs of Love Foundation stands as an inspiring example of how personalized songs can be harnessed for healing, and it has carved out a unique place in the history of personalized music therapy and charitable work. When Beltzer founded the organization in 1996, the concept of creating personalized songs for therapeutic purposes was virtually unprecedented. In the broader historical context, the mid-1990s saw growing awareness of the benefits of music therapy for patients, but Beltzer’s idea went a step further by customizing each song to the individual child. This one-to-one musical gift model filled a niche between traditional music therapy (often general in application) and personal wish-granting charities. It brought creativity and personal connection into the healing process in a way that had not been done before on such a large scale.
Over nearly three decades, Beltzer’s work has had a lasting impact on both families and the wider community. Thousands of children who received songs of love have grown up remembering that experience of joy and support during dark times. Many families have reported that the song their child received became a cherished keepsake, a positive part of an otherwise difficult chapter in their lives. John’s success demonstrates that music, personalized and delivered with love, can have tangible emotional and psychological benefits for patients. Organizations and hospitals now increasingly acknowledge the therapeutic value of personalized interventions like Beltzer’s songs, and the foundation’s model has been discussed in academic circles as a case study in innovative patient support. In 2024, the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health published a clinical study discussing how the foundation’s songs helped children feel “positive emotions in times of stress,” among other benefits.
John Beltzer’s dedication has also earned his foundation a strong reputation in the nonprofit world for transparency and effectiveness. (For instance, Songs of Love has received 4 stars from Charity Navigator, reflecting its commitment to its mission and responsible management.) While not motivated by accolades, Beltzer’s nearly 30 years of service have been celebrated by communities and even local governments. In Queens, New York, his home base, he has been honored as a hometown hero (including receiving a Queens Impact Award for his contributions), illustrating how deeply his work has resonated at the community level in addition to nationally. As the Songs of Love Foundation continues its mission, John Beltzer’s story remains a powerful reminder of the positive change that creativity, empathy, and persistence can achieve.
References
“Songs of Love Harnesses the Healing Power of Music,” Chandler, Elizabeth. American Songwriter (August 2, 2021) (Interview/article on the foundation’s origin and impact.)
“Queens People of the Week Use Music as Medicine,” Majtan, Leisha. Spectrum News NY1 (June 5, 2017). (Profile naming John Beltzer and Songs of Love volunteers “People of the Week” for lifting thousands of children’s spirits with music.)
“Songs of Love: Non-profit Helping Sick Kids Cope Through Personalized Songs,” Henriquez, Gloria. Global News Canada (April 25, 2017) (Canadian video segment and article featuring John Beltzer and a patient working on a song of love together.)
songsoflove.org, official website (history, mission, initiatives, impact and media coverage)
“Forest Hills Nonprofit Heals with Music,” Scileppi, Tammy. Queens Chronicle (April 26, 2016). (Article featuring John Beltzer, child life specialists and songwriters.)
Music as Medicine - Songs of Love Foundation, AirGigs Music Production blog (November. 5, 2019) (Interview with John Beltzer discussing how personalized songs act as medicine for ailing youth.)
Songs of Love, (July 17, 2001), BMI (artist profile).
“Ailing children soothed by ‘Songs of Love’,” Hellmich, Nanci. USA Today, (May 20, 2007). (Feature story on the foundation’s 12,000th song milestone.)
Humanistic Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Cheskis, Jason (April 2, 2005). Interview with Songs of Love founder and president, John Beltzer.
songsoflove.org/clinicalstudy/, “The acceptability of Songs of Love for Youth Living with Chronic Pain” Donovan, Dr. Elizabeth, et al. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health (February 2, 2024). (Peer-reviewed study examining the Songs of Love intervention’s acceptance among chronically ill teens and its therapeutic role in pain management, with results indicating positive psychosocial benefits.)
“Songs of Love.” 60 Minutes II (CBS) – Dan Rather Reports. (May 7, 2005) (In-depth TV segment profiling John Beltzer’s work composing one-of-a-kind songs for seriously ill children.)
“Heroes Among Us.” People (1998). (Profile of John Beltzer and the Songs of Love Foundation.)
“Songs of Love” Brings Music to Sick Children. Parade, 2000. (Sunday supplement article describing how Beltzer’s nonprofit creates personalized songs to lift ailing kids’ spirits.)
“Musical Medicine: Songs of Love Foundation.” Good Housekeeping (2001). (Profile on Beltzer’s use of music to heal and comfort chronically ill children.)
“Songs of Love” Feature. Biography, 2000. (Article highlighting Beltzer’s life story and founding of the Songs of Love charity.)
“Songs of Love – A Father’s Musical Gift.” American Profile, 2008. (Feature on John Beltzer’s program of personalized songs for ill children.)
“Shining a Light on Songs of Love… The Medicine of Music,” Kelley Anne Dolan Memorial Fund. (Streamed live on Oct 26, 2021.) (In-depth interview with John Beltzer on the impact of music on critically-ill children.)
Eye Witness News Extra. (January 18, 2024) (John Beltzer discusses the Songs of Love Foundation and a pledge by Leon Cooperman to match up to $5 million dollars towards the Songs of Love $10 Million Endowment Matching Campaign.)
NBC Nightly News. (August 20, 2014) (Evening news segment highlighting Beltzer’s musical outreach.)
Hallmark Heroes with Regis Philbin. (January 8, 2009) (Interview with John Beltzer on the Christmas edition of Hallmark Heroes.)
The Good People Fund. (January 12, 2025) (Features Good People Fund grantees and guests singing on a song for a boy facing health challenges, the recording session led by John Beltzer.)