19th Annual "World's Largest Concert®" to Be Broadcast March 13, 2003 to Audience of Six Million

MENC: The National Association for Music Education Produces Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano-supported Event to Be Broadcast from Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC to 175 Countries

March 11, 2003 (PRWEB) March 13, 2003 - The 19th Annual World's Largest Concert (WLC®) will be broadcast from the nation's capital, Washington, DC, to an international television audience of children and music lovers of all ages in 175 countries on Thursday, March 13, at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The WLC, created by MENC: The National Association for Music Education to focus attention on music in our nation's schools, is broadcast on PBS and The Armed Forces Network to 6 million actively participating students, teachers, and community members around the world. It is a highlight of the nationally celebrated Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM®), sponsored annually by MENC. This year the WLC is supported by Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano.

The 2003 WLC theme "Connect With Music!" focuses on the ways in which music connects to so many aspects of life, and how those connections can be used to increase awareness of the benefits of music. MENC President Willie L. Hill, Jr. says, "Through this 'connecting' thread, we can continue and even step-up making connections with our students, colleagues at all levels, school administrators, school board members, PTAs, community leaders, and businesses."

"An essential component of MENC's mission of music for all includes efforts to remind the public and those responsible for public policy that music education is an essential part of every child's education, and was recently named a core subject in the president's No Child Left Behind Education Act," said John Mahlmann, MENC's executive director. "The World's Largest Concert is an event that connects members of school communities throughout the world and reminds us all of the importance of music education."

This year's WLC will feature the accomplished Children's Chorus of Washington, accompanied by the talented American Youth Philharmonic. The CCW, founded and directed by MENC member Joan Gregoryk, made their debut at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1996. Since that time, the chorus has combined the challenges of great choral music with the musicianship skills developed in rehearsals, allowing the singers to experience the joy of singing with artistry, and develop the self-discipline and confidence that enhance many areas of their lives. Conducted by Luis Haza, music director and MENC member, The American Youth
Philharmonic was founded by the Fairfax (Virginia) Symphony in 1964 to promote excellent musicianship among future orchestral musicians.

The WLC program, presenting music that encourages "connecting" with others through fun, interdisciplinary activities and lessons in math, science, history, culture and more, features the following selections:    
Land That We Love by Jill Gallina, with America the Beautiful, Words by Katherine Lee Bates, Music by Samuel Ward   
Una luna brilla by Aline Shader
Turn the Beat Around by Peter Jackson, Jr. and Gerald Jackson
Mmangwane (South African Folk Song)
Where Do the Stars Go? Words by Amanda Walter, Music by Sherri Porterfield
M.T.'s Sage Advice by Linda Spevacek
The Picnic of the World Words by John Forster, Music by Jacques Offenbach

Generous support for the 2003 WLC is given by Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano. "We at Gibson/Baldwin are honored to be associated with the dedicated educators of MENC and excited about the opportunity to participate in the World's Largest Concert," says Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Corp. and Baldwin Piano Co. "Participating in the World's Largest Concert will be a fun and memorable experience, and we look forward to a long and enjoyable relationship with music educators."

A free Music In Our Schools Month / World's Largest Concert Teacher's Guide, with reproducible student music, lessons, and tips for celebrating MIOSM, is available from MENC. Send $5 to cover shipping to MENC/WLC, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 20191 or call 800-828-0229 to order. Information and an online version of the teacher's guide can also be found at www.menc.org. Rehearsal CDs can be ordered by calling 801-262-2546, or at www.infinitypublications.com, and full orchestrations for 2003 WLC works are available from Sibeliusmusic.com.

The World's Largest Concert is endorsed by the following cooperating music/education organizations: Americans for the Arts, NAMM: International Music Products Association®, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Music Council, National PTA®, and National School Boards Association.   

For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko, MENC public relations director, at (703) 860- 4000, or elizabethl@menc.org.
   
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world's largest arts education organization, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. Nearly 100,000 members represent all levels of teaching from pre-school to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC's activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.

Gibson Guitar is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins and banjos. Baldwin, a division of Gibson since 2001, has been the leading American maker of pianos for over a century. Headquartered in Nashville, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands includes Epiphone, Dobro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland, Trace Elliot, Maestro, Baldwin, Ellington, Chickering and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson's website at www.gibson.com.

###