VH1 Save The Music and NAMM Celebrate Donation of $400,000 to 14 Public Schools in Gulf States

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation and NAMM, the International Music Products Association is celebrating a donation of $400,000 to help restore 14 public school music programs throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Hundreds of musical instruments have been donated to ensure that public school students throughout the Gulf Coast region have access to music education programs in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The donation is part of The Foundation’s efforts to restore $4 million worth of instrumental music programs nationwide throughout the 2006/2007 school year. In addition, it will bring VH1 Save The Music closer to achieving its 10th Anniversary goal of reaching 1 million students and advance its ongoing mission of ensuring that all children have access to the benefits of music education.

“The grants of nearly $400,000 worth of musical instruments reflect our steadfast commitment to music education and to the students and teachers whose lives were so devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” said Paul Cothran, Executive Director, VH1 Save The Music. “As we prepare to celebrate The Foundation’s 10th Anniversary, we are especially pleased that these grants were made possible by support from our long-time partners at NAMM. Their support throughout the years has allowed VH1 Save The Music to bring music education to an even greater numbers of students.”

“NAMM is committed to ensuring that students throughout the Gulf Coast continue receiving the proven benefits of music education,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. “We look forward to partnering with VH1 for years to come to restore music programs in many more public schools across the country.”

About VH1 Save The Music
Since the VH1 Save The Music Foundation was created in 1997, $34 million worth of new musical instruments have been donated to 1,400 public schools in 80 cities, improving the lives of more than 800,000 children. Platinum sponsors of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation include Anheuser Busch and the University of Phoenix, Gold Sponsors include Warner Bros, and Silver Sponsors include Dave and Buster, Gibson, and Quiznos.

Now in its tenth year, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America’s public schools by restoring music education programs in cities across the United States and raising awareness of the importance of music participation for our nation’s youth.

The national partner organizations of VH1 Save The Music include the American Association of School Administrators, the American Music Conference, America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth, ASCAP Foundation, Chief State School Officers Association, MENC-The National Association for Music Education, NAMM-International Music Products Association, National School Boards Association and the U.S. Department of Education.

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