Win One For Music Ed. And $500,000 for MENC!

Get your seat-belts on America, it’s going to be one heated race!  With  a lot of help from our online Music Education Professional Learning Network via Facebook, Twitter, and the MusicPLN.org,  we were able to gather up enough supporters to vote and win $25,000 for Music Education and MENC in the 1st part of the Chase Community Giving Contest!

This time around the competition is going to be a little  harder, BUT we should have no problem with winning -IF- we all make the effort to reach out and have others show their support by clicking “one, little, tiny VOTE  button”  …one click for Music Education!

For those of you that just can’t wait to show your support right now, here is the button  — Go get em’!

There are millions and millions of people that have experienced the life-changing benefits of music through their school training AND many of these “same millions” are now also using Facebook – let’s rally the troops and and make a concentrated effort to have them vote for MENC (the Music Educators National Conference).    While there are many other worthy candidates in the running (and some of them music related), there are none that will put the money to such good use as MENC with regard to supporting music in our schools on a national level – for every student.  In these trying times, when music education programs are being assaulted across the country, there CAN be no better time to garner support and awareness about the benefits of formal music instruction…. AND THAT is exactly what MENC is proposing to do with the winnings!

Here is MENC’s  “Big Idea” that describes how they will use the winnings:

Creativity, discipline, teamwork … just a few of the life-long benefits of music study. But kids across the country are losing access to music as school programs are cut back or eliminated. The most affected are those who need it most – kids in underserved communities. We will use $150,000 to provide 100 grants of $1000 -$2500 to school music programs in the most underserved areas to help students achieve success through music. We will use $150,000 to develop resources and to provide training to help teachers create music programs with strong foundations and also to help those whose programs are facing budget cuts. We will use $200,000 for a national web/social media campaign to encourage kids to study music and others to support school music programs. We will feature teachers and students in programs that have received grants – to show what is at risk and what stands to be gained. Our BIG IDEA: The study and making of music by all!

Please take the next few seconds and click on the following link to take you directly to Facebook to vote for this excellent and worthy cause (while you are there post a note of support and PLEASE share this on your Facebook Wall!):

You will see me tweeting and posting about this quite frequently on Facebook, please join me and MENC’s Campaign to help to make spread about the word about Music Education and to help them win the$500k from the Chase Community Giving Campaign for music students everywhere!  We CAN with this!