FREDERICK, MD--(Marketwired - Mar 17, 2014) - Music & Arts, the nation's largest band and orchestra instrument retailer and lesson provider, is celebrating Music In Our Schools Month with a nationwide sweepstakes encouraging student musicians, teachers and parents to make a Pledge to Practice. Together with Yamaha and the National Association for Music Education's (NAfME's) Give a Note Foundation, Music & Arts is inviting young musicians to commit to practicing 200,000 combined minutes from Friday, March 14 to Friday, April 4.
Developed to highlight the benefits of school music education programs, the Pledge to Practice campaign aims to help student musicians improve. To participate, musicians ages 13 to 18 can visit the Pledge to Practice website at www.musicarts.com/pledgetopractice. There they can submit their name or the name of their school to enter the sweepstakes, as well as pledge the number of minutes they will practice.
The goal of the campaign is to reach more than 200,000 total minutes pledged. To support this goal, Music & Arts will make a donation to NAfME's Give a Note Foundation, an organization committed to expanding and increasing music education opportunities for all children. Participants who pledge will also be entered for a chance to win a Yamaha instruments worth $2,000 ARV. In addition, the school with the most practice minutes pledged by its students will receive $2,000 ARV in Yamaha instruments.
"Music education programs do so much for students. We're thrilled to be able to support Music In Our Schools Month with our second annual Pledge to Practice campaign," said Ken O'Brien, CEO of Music & Arts. "It's an opportunity for Music & Arts, along with our partners at the Give a Note Foundation and Yamaha, to not only encourage students to grow their passion for music, but also to help share the importance of music education."
Yamaha partnered with the Pledge to Practice promotion to help further the company's commitment to music education. "Yamaha is dedicated to giving as many students the chance to play and enjoy music as possible," said Roger Eaton, director of marketing, Band & Orchestral Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "This program provides young musicians with an opportunity to grow their musical skills and knowledge and we support the Give a Note Foundation in its efforts to encourage the next generation of musicians to pick up an instrument and play."
To make a pledge, or to view practice tips for students, parents and educators from Music & Arts' team of experts, please visit www.musicarts.com/pledgetopractice.
About Music & Arts
Music & Arts, the nation's largest school music company, has served students, teachers and families through retail stores and school representatives since 1952. Based in Frederick, Md., the company specializes in sales and rentals of musical instruments, instrument repairs, and music lessons -- especially for the beginning and student musician. Music & Arts now has 128 retail locations across 23 states. For additional information about Music & Arts, including store locations, please visit http://www.musicarts.com/.
About Yamaha
Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) is one of the largest subsidiaries of Yamaha Corporation, Japan and offers a full line of award-winning musical instruments, sound reinforcement and home entertainment products to the U.S. market. Products include: Yamaha acoustic, digital and hybrid pianos, portable keyboards, guitars, acoustic and electronic drums, band and orchestral instruments, marching percussion products, synthesizers, professional digital and analog audio equipment, Steinberg recording products and Nexo commercial audio products, as well as AV receivers, amplifiers, Blu-ray/CD players, iPod docking systems, home-theater-in-a-box systems, earphones, headphones, sound bars, and its exclusive line of Digital Sound Projectors. YCA markets innovative, finely crafted technology and entertainment products and musical instruments targeted to the hobbyist, education, worship, professional music, installation and consumer markets. For more information about the Band & Orchestral Division, please visit http://4wrd.it/YAMAHABO.
About Give a Note Foundation
Give a Note Foundation was created by the National Association for Music Education in 2011 with a mission to strengthen music education programs across America, especially in underserved areas. The Foundation achieves its mission through grants to school music programs, education programs that promote teaching excellence, and research on student access to music study. For additional information, please visit https://giveanote.nafme.org/.
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Media Contact:
Kathleen Hopkins
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