About
VH1's Save The Music Foundation is a non-profit organization for the restoration of music education in today's public school system, and to raise awareness of the importance of music in education. Started in 1997, The Foundation grew from the experiences of VH1 President John Sykes (pictured right), as he saw first-hand the difficulties a New York public school was having with its music program due to a great need for musical instruments in his volunteer experience as Principal For The Day.
Since 2008, the foundation's website has been relatively dormant and outdated, however activity inside the foundation is evident in its involvement in various fundraisers and up-to-date Annual Report.
How To Help
There are many ways that you can help out the Save The Music Foundation (Links will open in new windows)
- You can make a donation.
- You can become a Sponsor/Partner.
- You can purchase tickets to an upcoming event.
- You can hold a fund-raising event on the foundation's behalf, and
- You can become an advocate for music education through the foundation's online resources.
Personal Input
Music education has played a vital role in my life. Alongside developing my appreciation for and abilities for music, it has helped me grow more creative and able to express myself. Music is a universal means of expression; it's understood by everyone. Exposing the youth of today to music introduces them to the powerfully expressive qualities of music, allowing them to articulate themselves in a free and abstract way, instead of trying to find words for their feelings, or possibly supressing their emotions. On top of that, recent studies have shown that students who study the arts (including music) do better on standadized tests and get higher grades in high school. Like sports, music education stresses hard work, discipline and teamwork.
People often discount music education, passing it off to be unimportant, however there are a number of valuable benefits to music education that make it far more important in today's education system than it may appear to be.
On the right there's a video of ESPN's coverage of The Cavaliers, a world class Drum and Bugle Corps- sort of a professional marching band. Just like some high school athletes aspire to be on a professional sports team, some students of music look up to groups like The Cavaliers.
Click here to make the video larger