Goto, known to most as simply Midori, first envisioned an organization addressing the lack of arts education in schools in during the the early 1990s.

“I always had in mind that I wanted to be active in doing something about this problem of not having music education in the schools,” Midori said. “I decided I wanted to start an organization that was going to enable me to work with school children in bringing back music classes.”

Midori jump started her initiative by performing for schoolchildren, but quickly realized that performances alone would not solve the deficit in artistic instruction.

“I started by having performances in schools in the New York City area, bringing performance exposure to the schoolchildren,” Midori said. “[But] I decided that performance alone was not going to take care of the arts education [problem]. I wanted to set up a structure in which music classes can be taught, that music classes can become a part of the regular curriculum of the school day.”

Consequently, Midori established her first non-profit group called Midori and Friends. The organization, now nearly 20 years old, specializes in training teachers for music education in the classroom environment.

“We train teachers, and we send these teachers into the classrooms to work with homeroom teachers, principals and school districts,” Midori said. “Through this, we are trying to change the culture of schools by bringing arts and music. The whole feeling, the whole atmosphere changes. Kids are more interested in coming to school, and they have a much healthier way of expressing their feelings through music.”

Midori adds that those around her, however, originally discouraged her from forming Midori and Friends.

“The people who managed my career, the people who watched me, were very much against my starting of an organization,” Midori said. “They knew it was going to be very difficult, and they knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to have my voice heard. They also felt that it wasn’t something I needed to do; I was busy performing.”

Nonetheless, Midori pressed on. The lack of music education in schools was something she believed required urgent attention.

“I didn’t do this so that I could grab attention from the media,” Midori said. “I did it because I felt that it was very, very important.”

Midori’s second non-profit organization, Music Sharing, stemmed from the Tokyo branch of Midori and Friends.

“Originally, [Music Sharing] was the Tokyo office of Midori and Friends,” Midori said. “But because of two different countries, two different banking systems and many different systems, we decided that to do the work effectively in Japan, the organization had to become independent.”

In addition to working with the school systems and children’s hospitals, Music Sharing also conducts international community engagement programs.

“[For two weeks in December], students who are about to graduate and become professional musicians are auditioned,” Midori said. “Those selected make up a string quartet. Together we visit a developing country in Southeast Asia. In the spirit of the holidays, we go and donate our work to the country’s hospitals, schools and special institutions. It’s also an opportunity for the young musicians to learn about community engagement — how you actually advocate for the arts.”

Midori highlights that the outreach experience is not only musical, but also cultural.

“There is a very nice feeling of culture exchange,” Midori said. “What can we learn from their culture? What can we learn about their culture? We collaborate with the musicians in the hosting country and we learn about their music, their lives, their careers. This program isn’t so much about outreach, it’s an education learning experience for all of us involved.”

Midori notes that her experiences in developing countries have made her much more aware and appreciative.

“The more you experience, the more you know, the more you learn, the more imaginative one can be,” Midori said. “As a result [of these experiences], I have become so appreciative of the opportunities that I receive. My life has been enriched, and the byproduct of that, is that my music has been enriched. I’m grateful for that.”

Midori’s third and newest organization, Partners in Performance, aims to bring chamber music performances to smaller, outlying communities.

“[Our goal is to] bring chamber music performances into communities that may have difficulty accessing performers,” Midori said. “I would go to a community with a population of 300 and play in their high school auditorium, or their community center.”

As of now, Midori has no further plans for starting other organizations to support music outreach.

“After I started three non-profits, I finally decided that that was enough,” Midori said jokingly. “It’s a lot of paperwork, and I don’t want to do that anymore. Three is enough.”

Ultimately, Midori continues her work in advocating for the arts because she sees the benefits for all those involved.

“I do the work that I do because I see that music can bring people together,” Midori said. “I don’t do it just to advocate for music, I do it because music can bring people together, and that is very, very important. It’s important for the future of this world.”