Schools receive donated instruments

To ensure that New York City's students are being exposed to music as part of their school experience, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the VH1 Save the Music Foundation and Time Warner Cable announced a donation of $1 million dollars worth of new musical instruments to various schools, including two from Queens - PS 223 in Jamaica and PS 62 in South Richmond Hill.
&#8220We have a responsibility to provide New York City students with a sound education and the tools to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Music education is crucial to the development of our children,” Bloomberg said. &#8220Arts education programs can play a major role in improving attendance, retention and parental involvement in a child's education.”
Tom Calderone, the general manager and executive vice president of VH1, added, &#8220This year's donation of $1 million to New York City Public Schools brings the Foundation closer to its overall mission, to restore music education programs for one million public school students and give them the opportunity to learn, grow and achieve through music.”
The Save the Music Foundation was formed in 1997 with the goal of keeping music in schools. Since its inception, it has donated new musical instruments, worth about $34 million, to 1,400 public schools, 50 of which have been in Queens.
The recent donation helped kick off VH1's Hip Hop Honors week, which included various events throughout the boroughs before the show on October 17.
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said &#8220musical education is a powerful and enriching experience that can profoundly impact a child's life,” Klein said. &#8220The instruments that the VH1 Save the Music Foundation has donated to New York City schools have helped us enormously in our commitment to giving students the chance to experience the joy and the excitement of music.”
For more information on the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, visit www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music.