“Where Words Fail, Music Speaks.”
– Hans Christian Anderson
On September 30, 2017, Ryan A. McCutcheon, 19, was killed in an automobile accident while returning to his college campus after assisting high school drum students at a local band festival. The Rhythm19 Fund was established by his family through The Pittsburgh Foundation to keep his spirit alive through music.
Ryan was an accomplished percussionist, a dedicated instructor and a mentor to high school and college students. Following his graduation from North Allegheny, Ryan attended Robert Morris University. He remained active musically, marching with Nomad Indoor Drumline, advising the drum line for the Hampton High School Marching Band and playing drums with his college friends in a rock band. He was also an active drummer at The Vault Recording Studio in Pittsburgh where he frequently played and recorded.
Ryan was a bright, light-hearted, funny and loving soul. He loved working with kids, playing music and teaching others.
The mission of The Rhythm19 Fund is to honor Ryan’s memory by providing access to art and music education for children and youth.
Through charitable contributions and volunteerism, we provide access to music for children and encourage the use of music to enrich the lives of those with challenges or special needs. The fund also strongly encourages the continuation of music programs for school children.
We, in conjunction with The Rhythm19Fund, were active in fundraising, providing financial support and volunteering our time. As a result, we have awarded numerous high school scholarships, supported a number of local area music programs with equipment and even helped fund trips to music competitions. We also enjoyed hosting several high school and middle school field trips to The Vault.
To date, the fund has raised over $250,000 to be used for scholarships to students, and grants to schools and not-for-profit arts programs in the region.
Continued Support for Organizations/Music Programs include:
- Amelia Project
- Band Together
- Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- Flying Scooter Productions
- Hellbender Vinyl
- Knoch School District
- Luminari
- Magee Women’s Research Institute
- Manchester Craftsman’s Guild/MCG Jazz
- Mighty Oak Adventures w/ Brett Keisel
- Music From The 412
- Musicians of the PSO
- National Independent Venues Association (NIVA)/COVID Emergency Relief Fund
- Nomad Indoor Percussion
- North Allegheny School District
- Penn West University (California Campus)
- Pittsburgh Today Live
- Prizum Creative
- Second Scene Magazine
- Sing Sing Sing
- Slippery Rock University
- SRU Jazz
- Star 100.7 FM
- Sto-Rox School District
- The Beaver 95.7 FM
- The Lindsay Theater
- The Neighborhood Academy
- The United Way of Southwestern PA/211 for Service Staff Workers
- Three Rivers Winter Ensemble Association
- Women Who Rock
- WQED
The Vault also hosted the legendary Smokey Robinson for two different Rhythm19 fundraising events over the years.
