We're thrilled to announce an exciting addition to the SpreadMusicNow team. Meet our new Executive Director!

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Dear Music Empowers Fans,

Welcome to SpreadMusicNow! We are so excited to have you join our mission to transform children's lives through music education. If you haven't had a chance to learn about us on our Website, or via Facebook and Twitter, please do so. But, in short, if you love Music Empowers and want to continue supporting music education, you've come to the right place.

Like Music Empowers Foundation, SpreadMusicNow believes that learning to play and create music can ignite a child's imagination, foster a sense of accomplishment and inspire them to succeed. And, like Music Empowers, SpreadMusicNow funds organizations nationwide that are committed to providing high-quality music instruction.

In picking up where Music Empowers is leaving off, we will be able to do even more for the cause of music education. Going forward, we will:

1. Fund and grow more high-quality music education programs nationwide
2. Build public awareness and advocacy for music education
3. Establish partnerships with like-minded organizations across the country

These are exciting and ambitious goals. But we can't do it alone. We need the support of fans like you - who love music, believe in our youth, and won't be satisfied until even more children receive the life-changing gifts of music education.

Soon, you'll be hearing from us about our GivingTuesday campaign and end-of-year fundraising initiatives, our upcoming annual event, and a new SpreadMusicNow Website. Until then, please don't wait:

1. Become a fan of SpreadMusicNow on Facebook
2. Follow us on Twitter
3. Consider making a donation in support of music education

Once again, welcome. Together, we can make dramatic improvements in the lives of children across the nation.

Yours in music education,

Richard J. Wenning
Co-Founder and Board Member, SpreadMusicNow

P.S. I'd love to hear your thoughts on music education and where you think things should be heading. Shoot me an email at rich@spreadmusicnow.org and we'll chat!

(Photo by Ron Kovis)

First of all, I would like to thank every donor (more than 160 of you!), every attendee at the amazing show, the music educators that make all the difference, and the awesome students that performed with the band of superb musicians brought together by our fabulous partner Band Together CT.  The benefit concert on May 30th exceeded our expectations and we were so heartened by the outpouring of support to help propel a music education movement in Connecticut and strengthen the arts education sector.

The May 30th concert, which broke Band Together's fundraising record for a single event, raised a total of $78,000, including over $72,000 in donations for underserved student's music education. Connecticut-based BeFoundation provided a $25,000 grant to the SpreadMusicNow Fund at Fairfield County's Community Foundation to match donations raised by the coalition of 13 nonprofits collaborating to strengthen music and arts education for needy Connecticut youngsters: BackCountry Jazz, Charter Oak Cultural Center, Creative Connections, KEYS, INTAKE Music, Hartford Performs, Litchfield Jazz Camp, Little Kids Rock, Music Haven, Neighborhood Studios, Project Music, Westport Arts Center, and WPKN.

The concert, A Night at Studio 54 in Support of Music Education, featured a dance and funk show channeling the popular nightclub, Studio 54. The evening's main event, Band Together, put on an outstanding performance - belting out tightly honed renditions of 70s and 80s dance classics that kept everyone on their feet the entire night. Two student ensembles performed: the Charter Oak Cultural Center's Good Vibrations rap group prepared the crowd for an amazing night with a pre-show routine in the lobby and Project Music's bucket drummers kept everyone entertained during the break. Several nonprofit leaders - themselves professional musicians - joined the stage as special guests, including Rob Silvan of the KEYS Program, Bennie Wallace of BackCountry Jazz and Angie Durrell from INTAKE Music.

Charter Oak Cultural Center's Good Vibrations Rap Group (Photo by Ron Kovis)

Project Music's Bucket Drummers (Photo by Ron Kovis)  

On the whole, it was a night of energy, inspiration and fun - all in support of music education. This is only the beginning of our statewide initiative to bring music and arts education to underserved youth in Connecticut. 

(Photo by SimplyMaura Photography)

We work with nonprofit organizations in concert with school-based educators for a reason.  Only by working together can we propel public awareness of the need to reinvest in music education and to close the opportunity gap for children's access and engagement to music and arts education.   We must all be committed to the right of every child to benefit from high quality arts education both because the arts are core to our humanity but also because the arts are vital to students' preparedness for college, career, and citizenship.  All children deserve a pathway and a continuum of support for learning in school and out of school -- anytime, anyplace.

If you agree with what we are doing and want to get involved, please contact us.

During our Crowdrise fundraising event, we offered an additional $2,000 to the team that raised the most funds by the end of our benefit concert, A Night at Studio 54, on May 30th. Everyone worked hard towards our common goal, but two organizations pulled ahead of the rest.

We're pleased to announce that Neighborhood Studios is the winner of the $2,000 Crowdrise fundraising bonus! This wonderful organization did an amazing job and brought in a total of $7,650. They will also receive a $5,000 matching grant from BeFoundation, which brings Neighborhood Studios' total funds made to $14,650!

Upon learning this news, Neighborhood Studios had this to say: Neighborhood Studios is grateful for the support of SpreadMusicNow and BeFoundation. The opportunity to jointly fundraise and receive a matching grant has been a great help for our summer Adopt A Camper campaign. The addition of the challenge grant made it all the more exciting. The funds Neighborhood Studios raised will help support music education instruction in our summer camps this year. Specifically, the funding will support our Cultural Drumming classes for children with special needs and the Jazz and Contemporary Music Ensemble for teens. Our drumming class will provide a supportive environment for children to learn west African drumming patterns and perform together. In our Jazz Ensemble, students will learn the repertoire of traditional jazz, learn theory and improvisation and have opportunities to compose original music. Thanks to the support of SpreadMusicNow, Neighborhood Studios will be able to provide these opportunities to Bridgeport children and teens this summer. 

Coming in a very close 2nd place is Project Music, raising $7,270! Because of their great efforts, we're awarding an extra $1,000 to their organization. When you add their $5,000 matching grant from BeFoundation, they earned $13,270 for their programs.

How will they use the extra funds? For Project Music, these much-needed funds from the SpreadMusicNow event will go a long way towards expanding our summer program in the upcoming season.  The summer program is extremely important to establish continuity and reinforce important skills learned during the school year, also offering concentrated time for practice.  Project Music is so grateful for this fundraising opportunity and for the generous match offered by BeFoundation.  The prospect of a match always energizes donors who are happy to know that their dollars will make an even greater impact, and we were delighted to have placed second in the fundraising totals due to our donors' generosity.  Thank you so much for recognizing Project Music's fundraising efforts with the bonus award of $1000!

Thanks to all of our valued partners and followers for coming together and helping us bring music education to underserved kids!

Today, SpreadMusicNow and Band Together are formally announcing our benefit concert for Connecticut students.  All proceeds from the event will support a coalition of organizations that provide music education to needy students, helping them develop skills for college, career and life success.

The concert, A Night at Studio 54 in Support of Music Education, will feature a dance and funk show channeling the popular NY nightclub Studio 54 and the scene from the 1970's and 80's made popular by Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Donna Summer, The O'Jays, Jackson Five, The Ohio Players and more. A student ensemble will perform at a reception prior to the concert, and several nonprofit leaders - themselves professional musicians - will join the stage as special guests.

Students, particularly low-income and minority youth, often lack exposure and access to the arts, contributing to a gap in their acquisition of 21st-century skills, such as collaboration, creativity, innovation, personal responsibility and cultural awareness--skills essential to future success. Through the concert, SpreadMusicNow and Band Together are helping to fill this void.

"Music and all of the arts connect people, stimulate imagination and energize our economy, " said Juanita T. James, president and CEO of Fairfield County's Community Foundation. "Spread Music Now's mission is beautifully aligned with our goals of making the arts available to every Fairfield County resident."

SpreadMusicNow and Band Together will provide all funds raised, with additional matching grants, to a coalition of music education nonprofits including BackCountry Jazz, Charter Oak Cultural Center, Creative Connections, Hartford Performs, INTAKE Music, KEYS, Litchfield Jazz Camp, Little Kids Rock, Music Haven, Neighborhood Studios, PROJECT MUSIC, Westport Arts Center, and WPKN.

"If you believe in the life-changing benefits of music education, added Rob Fried, Band Together's co-founder and musical director, then get friends, family and everyone you know to support our cause here and help SpreadMusicNow and Band Together transform children's lives and build stronger, more vibrant communities."

"The Fairfield Theatre Company is proud to host this event, said FTC executive director John Reid, we work closely with SpreadMusicNow on our educational programs and we've hosted many successful Band Together shows at StageOne."

WHAT: Band Together SpreadMusicNow Concert Fundraiser for Music Education
WHEN: May 30, 2015, 6:30pm
WHERE: Fairfield Theater Company, 70 Sanford Street, Fairfield CT 06824
Purchase tickets: https://fairfieldtheatre.org/shows/night-studio-54-benefit-concert-music-education
DONATIONS: https://www.crowdrise.com/anightatstudio54/fundraiser or write a check to BeFoundation SpreadMusicNow Fund, PO Box 1330, Redding, CT 06875

Media are invited to attend. Please contact rich@befoundation.org