Top Stars Answer the Question Why Music?" In Back-to-School Radio PSAs

Country and Pop Artists Explain the Importance of Music Education In Award-Winning PSA Series From MENC: The National Association for Music Education and Gibson/Baldwin.

RESTON, VA (PRWEB) August 29, 2003 - MENC: The National Association for Music Education will release a new series of radio public service announcements featuring top pop and country musical artists to coincide with the traditional start of the new school year in late August 2003. The PSA series, Why Music?, which features musicians talking about the value and importance of music education, is supported by Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano, both of which were founded by music educators and leaders in their industry.

New artists joining the lineup for Back to School" 2003 are Garrison Keillor and Livingston Taylor. Returning artists are Faith Hill, Vince Gill, Chely Wright, Tim McGraw, Sara Evans, Steve Wariner, Lonestar, Travis Tritt, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Trace Adkins, Gloria Estefan, Peter Yarrow, Shawn Colvin, Carole King, Roger McGuinn, Vanessa Williams, and Willie Nelson. (A complete list of artists participating in the series can be viewed at www.menc.org/information/advocate/psa.html.) Participation was facilitated by Wolf Trap, Americas National Park for the Performing Arts (www.wolftrap.org), located in Vienna, VA.

Each PSA is sixty seconds long and features an artist talking about the importance of music education for todays youth or a personal experience he or she had with music in school. Compact discs of the series will be distributed to more than 1000 adult contemporary stations, more than 1000 country stations, and 30 radio networks.

The PSAs are part of MENCs unceasing efforts to keep music programs strong in Americas schools. MENCs mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by everyone," says John J. Mahlmann, MENCs executive director. We believe that the celebrity messages significantly raise the publics awareness of the positive effect music education has on kids." The previous Why Music? edition, released in March 2003 to coincide with Music In Our Schools Month," generated approximately 3.71 billion gross impressions over a month. Music is intrinsically valuable on its own, of course," continues Mahlmann, but it doesnt hurt, at a time when school budgets are so tight, to spread the word about the ways learning it can be beneficial to students. For instance, research seems to indicate that learning music can improve SAT scores, increase spatial I.Q., and decrease disciplinary problems."

When a successful musician -- who is a role model or a hero -- tells a kid that music education is a good thing, no further proof is necessary," says Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano. At Gibson and Baldwin were sold on the value of music education, and were happy to help spread the word in the most effective way possible."

MENC releases Why Music? twice a year - in March to coincide with Music In Our Schools Month," and in September as children head Back to School." The most recent Back to School" PSAs, sent to 2000 radio stations and networks, generated 1.22 billion gross impressions during a two week period in fall 2002.       

Why Music? has been the recipient of several prestigious communications awards, including the League of American Communications Professionals 2002 Magellan Awards Publicity Campaign Competition Bronze Award for Community Relations and The Communicator Awards 2002 Audio Competition Crystal Award of Excellence. In addition, MENC was awarded Honorable Mention in the PR News 2002 Platinum PR Awards for PSA Campaign, and the 2001 Bronze Anvil Award for Best Radio Public Service Announcement by the Public Relations Society of America. Most recently, the series was awarded the APEX 2003 Award of Excellence in the Public Relations and Information Video and Electronics Publications Category.

For more information on this series, or for an MENC press kit, please contact Elizabeth Lasko at MENC, 703-860-4000, or by e-mail at elizabethl@menc.org. MENCs Web site is www.menc.org.

MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the worlds largest arts education organization, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 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. MENCs 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 Piano, 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 Gibsons Web site at www.gibson.com.

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