SAE Institute Nashville Student Creates Tennessee Chapter of Guitars 4 Vets
Nashville, TN (PRWEB) September 04, 2014 -- SAE Institute Nashville Audio Technology Program student and U.S. Army veteran Noah Jimenez has started a Tennessee chapter of Guitars 4 Vets, a nationwide music therapy program for former members of the armed forces who suffer from mental, physical, and emotional distress. Along with his school work at SAE, Jimenez also provides fundraising and awareness-building services for Guitars 4 Vets and offers free weekly guitar lessons to veterans.
“I first learned of Guitars 4 Vets when I saw info about a concert that Lynyrd Skynyrd did for the organization last year at Ryman Auditorium,” says Jimenez. “I knew it was something that I wanted to get involved with, and when I found out that a chapter didn’t exist here in Tennessee, I started one. The VA provides me with a space where I can work with the vets each week, and I also answer emails, make phone calls, do fundraising, order guitars, purchase gear, and plan concerts for the chapter. It’s a lot of work on top of my SAE studies, but it’s important and I love doing it.”
Neurologic Music Therapist Tina Haynes, who works at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System’s York campus, is a supporter of Jimenez’s efforts.
“Noah appreciates the power of music in healing and recovery from the wounds of war and the value of peer helping peer,” says Haynes. “He has been a faithful volunteer at our facility, bringing the Guitars 4 Vets program to veterans enrolled in our Music Therapy Clinic. His talent as a musician and experience as a veteran have been very well received.”
Jimenez grew up in Beech Island, SC. He taught himself to play guitar when he was 14 years-old, and he soon learned how to play bass guitar, drums, and piano. After graduating from Silver Bluff High School in Aiken, SC in 2001, he became an EMT and lived in Pueblo, Colorado. He entered the Army in 2009 and was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Fort Lewis, WA. He left the service in 2013 as a Private First Class.
“I first became interested in audio engineering back in 1998 after seeing an ad for SAE in Guitar World magazine,” says Jimenez. “I was impressed by SAE’s instructors, curriculum, and its focus on helping students to develop their studio skills so they could be employment-ready when they begin their job search. Thanks to the G.I. Bill, I’m now enrolled in the Associates in Audio Engineering Program at the Nashville campus, and I’m scheduled to graduate at the end of August 2015.”
Jimenez plans to continue working with Guitars 4 Vets after he graduates from SAE, and will expand the program to include chapters in other cities across Tennessee in order to help additional veterans in the state. In terms of his audio technology career, Jimenez would like to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Audio Engineering and eventually work as an engineer/producer in the Christian music industry.
“I’d like to stay in Nashville once I graduate, but one day, I might like to tap into SAE’s huge international alumni network to seek opportunities overseas,” says Jimenez. “I love traveling and it would be fantastic to engineer, mix, and produce music from different countries and cultures.”
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About SAE Institute
SAE Institute provides aspiring creative media professionals with a foundation of practical theory and valuable hands-on training in their chosen areas of concentration. Under the guidance of our faculty, which is comprised of working industry professionals, students gain the essential experience they need for entry-level jobs in the entertainment business. Our students are supported in their job searches by SAE’s international network of alumni, many of whom are leaders in the music, film, game arts, and live performance arenas. We offer programs in audio technology across our seven US campuses, along with a music business program at select locations, all fully accredited and focused on preparing students for employment when they graduate. Bachelor’s Degree programs in Animation, Audio, Film, Game Art & Graphic Design are available at the two locations of Ex’pression College, which is owned and operated by SAE Institute Group, Inc. SAE Institute Group, Inc. is a part of Navitas LTD. Learn more at USA.sae.edu.
About Navitas
Navitas is an Australian global education leader, providing pre-university and university programs, English language courses, migrant education and settlement services, creative media education, student recruitment, professional development, and corporate training services to more than 80,000 students across a network of over 100 colleges and campuses in 27 countries. Learn more at Navitas.com.
Jeffrey Baker, SAE Institute, http://www.sae-usa.com, 646-355-1804, [email protected]
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