Harry Connick Jr, Faith Hill and Vanessa Williams: Celebrity Musicians Help Teach Kids the Importance of Music

RESTON, VA www.ExpertClick.com  (August 19, 2010) — MENC: The National Association for Music Education released a new edition of public service announcements that feature top musicians for “Back to School” 2010. The series is called Why Music? and features music stars discussing the value and importance of music education.

The artists joining the lineup for Back to School 2010 for the first time include Harry Connick, Jr., Pat Benatar, the Backstreet Boys, and Anika Noni Rose. Artists returning this year include Joshua Redman, Martha Wash, Steven Van Zandt, Mark O’Connor, Darius Rucker, Trisha Yearwood, Al Jarreau, Kathy Mattea, Gloria Estefan, Vanessa Williams, Janis Ian, Faith Hill, Chely Wright, Tim McGraw, Bonnie Raitt, and many more. (For a complete list of artists participating in the series since 1997 fine them online here.) Wolf Trap, America’s National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA, secured the participation of Connick, Benatar, and the Backstreet Boys.

Each of the public service announcements in the Why Music? series has an artist speaking about the importance of music education for today’s youth or gives a personal experience he or she had with music in school. The PSAs are available for radio stations to download.

The PSAs are part of MENC’s on-going efforts to maintain strong music programs in schools. “MENC’s mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by everyone,” said Michael A. Butera, MENC’s executive director. “We believe that these celebrity messages significantly raise the public’s awareness of the positive effect music education has on kids.” The Why Music? PSA are released twice a year — in March to coincide with Music In Our Schools Month, and in August as children head “Back to School.”

“To succeed tomorrow, today’s students need a comprehensive education that includes music taught by exemplary music educators,” continued Butera. “Music is intrinsically valuable on its own, of course, but learning music can also benefit students in ways that may surprise people. For instance, music education has been shown to be associated with higher SAT scores, better school attendance, pursuit of higher education, and higher income, as well as personal fulfillment. This is information our leaders need to know as they make critical education decisions in these tight budget times.”

Some of the awards the Why Music? series has received includes the League of American Communications Professionals 2002 Magellan Awards Publicity Campaign Competition Bronze Award for Community Relations and The Communicator Awards 2002 Audio Competition Crystal Award of Excellence. MENC was also awarded Honorable Mention in the PR News 2002 Platinum PR Awards for PSA Campaign, and the 2001 Bronze Anvil Award for Best Radio Public Service Announcement by the Public Relations Society of America. The series was awarded the Mercury Awards 2003 Honors for the Campaign/Public Service Announcements category and the APEX 2003 Award of Excellence in the Public Relations and Information Video and Electronics Publications Category.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Harry Connick, Jr. has recieved numerous awards and recognition, including several multi-platinum and gold albums, Grammy and Emmy awards, as well as a starring role in a Tony-winning Broadway musical and more. His most recent CD, Your Songs, contains big band and string orchestra arrangements of contemporary standards that are typically identified with iconic artists such as Elvis Presley, Elton John, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles. Connick boasts album sales of over 25 million; numerous awards in the music, film, television, and theater worlds; and a reputation as a responsive American who is making a significant difference. Visit www.harryconnickjr.com.

The Backstreet Boys– Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, and AJ McLean — have sold over 130 million records worldwide, which makes them one of the biggest selling groups of all time. Their debut album was Backstreet Boys(1996) followed by Millennium (1999) and its follow-up album, Black & Blue (2000). After a 3-year hiatus, the band got back together and released three albums: Never Gone (2005), Unbreakable (2007) and This Is Us (2009). Visit www.backstreetboys.com.

Pat Benatar is a four-time Grammy winner with 6 platinum and 4 gold albums as well as such hit singles as “Heartbreaker,” “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” Shadows of the Night,” and “Love Is A Battlefield.” A bit of trivia: she was the 1st female artists to appear on MTV. Benatar also has a best-selling memoir released in 2010 and called ”Between a Heart and a Rock Place.” Visit www.benatarfanclub.com/.

Anika Noni Rose was in “Dreamgirls” and HBO’s “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.” She has also been on Broadway  in “Caroline or Change” and ”Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. In 2009, she voiced Tiana, Disney’s first African-American princess, in “The Princess and the Frog.” Visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anika_Noni_Rose.

MENC: The National Association for Music Education, is the only association dedicated to all aspects of music education. It celebrated its 100th year in 2007.  With over 75,000 active, retired, and pre-service music teachers, and 60,000 honor students and supporters, MENC serves millions of students across the country through activities at all teaching levels, from preschool to graduate school. The mission of MENC’s is the advancement of music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. For over 100 years, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC’s activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education. MENC is located at the National Center for Music Education in Reston, Virginia.

Follow MENC on Twitter(twitter.com/menc) and on Facebook(facebook.com/menc.org).