Thank you to Scott Lang for sharing this BIG announcement!
Side note…
I am not sure of you can begin with a side note. Wait, it’s my post and I can begin it with any note I want. How about a Bb? (Trust me, that was much funnier in my head.)
In the article below you are going to read about a HUGE project my team and I are working on. This project is on a scale that exceeds the scope of what we could do on our own. So we went looking for some help, and not just a little help, but a LOT of help.
Before you read about the project, I want you to know that there were seven companies that stepped up in a big way to help fund this incredible endeavor. They didn’t ask if they would make money. They did not ask about what they would get out of it. They did not ask about logo placement. The only question they asked was, “How can we help?”
Being a music teacher can be an overwhelming experience. There is too much to do and never enough time. There are a sea of kids and no adults to help. We want you to know that we are here to help. We want you to know that we have seven friends who have your back too. Next time you hear that corporations don’t have feelings, let me introduce you to my friends.
We’re going to recruit and retain 1,000,000 kids in music!
Whew, that felt good to get off my chest.
A couple of weeks ago, we said that we had a secret. A secret so big that we were dying to tell, but just couldn’t. Well, it’s not a secret anymore.
Nearly four years after it’s first inception, we are proud to announce that Be Part of the Band has come full circle and is becoming Be Part of the Music, a K-12, cross-curricular (band/choir/orchestra) recruitment and retention solution. This audacious project hopes to replicate the successes achieved with band in all curricular areas (choir/band/orchestra) while also increasing the retention rate from grade to grade.
The project will begin production this summer, and our goal is to have the first components available for the start of school next year. The complete roll out will take a few years, but trust us when we say that we are already hard at work. As with Be Part of the Band, these materials will be available FREE of charge and available to download on the web.
We could not have done this without the generous support of our corporate partners (listed alphabetically) at the American String Teachers Association, Jupiter Instruments, Music for All, NAfME, St. Louis Music and Yamaha. Without their support we simply could not be doing this.
Next time you buy an instrument, or pay your dues, know that you are also supporting this incredible project. We are not completely funded yet, but with their support we know that we can and will get there. If there is someone you think we should be talking to, contact us and let us know.
There will be more information in the coming months, but for now, as you are in the midst of your recruiting and registration process, know that there are a lot of people and companies by your side and rooting for you, because without you, your students would never know what it’s like to Be Part of the Music.
Hope our little announcement has helped to make your day a little brighter. Have a great rest of the week.
