Playing Guitar for Spare Change

We’ve all seen people with acoustic guitars playing for spare change. Obviously it’s not possible to give money to every musician we meet, but we can certainly make the connection that there’s a real person playing music – someone that might be in need of a little help.

This week NPR ran a story about a website called Invisible People. The site’s owner Mark Horvath was once homeless himself. Now he uses his website to profile people with nowhere to live.

The first video that I watched on the site was a profile of Michael in Denver. Instead of panhandling, Michael plays his guitar for money. Each interview typically ends with the person talking about their three wishes. Making his interview especially memorable, Michael sings his three wishes. It’s a special moment that might make you appreciate some of the people we hear making music even more. Check out the interview here:

The next time you see someone playing guitar for spare change, are you going to be able to give them something? As Mark Horvath writes on his site:

How many people with hope and talent do we pass each day, dismissing them because they have nowhere to call home?