CMA Foundation Donates $1.2 Million to Metro Nashville Public Schools

Scotty McCreery

Scotty McCreery hosts CMA’s Fourth Annual Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center February 19, 2013. Photo Credit: Donn Jones/CMA

The CMA Foundation donated $1.2 million to benefit music education programs in Metro Nashville public schools through their Keep the Music Playing campaign at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Tuesday night. The announcement was made during a reception prior to the Fourth Annual CMA  Keep the Music Playing All Star Concert hosted by Scotty McCreery.

“Providing instruments for every Metro school is a tremendous accomplishment,” Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer, said. “When we started this program in 2006, instruments in Metro band programs were more than 30 years old – if they were lucky enough to have them at all. Seeing what this program has accomplished on behalf of our artists is extremely gratifying. Keep the Music Playing is making a difference by helping to make quality music education a reality for our children.”

To date, the CMA’s Keep the Music Playing, established to give back to the community on behalf of country artists who perform and appear at CMA Music Festival each year for free, has donated more than $6.5 million to Nashville Metro Schools. The money is used to build music labs and purchase instruments and supplies for all 144 Metro Nashville Public Schools through a partnership with the Nashville Public Education Foundation.

The CMA Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert honors the best elementary, middle, and high school performance groups selected from Metro Schools. Scotty McCreery not only hosted the event but spoke firsthand about the importance of music education in schools. He also performed Garth Brooks’ “The River” with students from Sylvan Park Elementary School.

“When I was in high school in North Carolina, I was very involved in the school’s music program which provided the foundation that inspired my music career today,” Scotty said. “And as a proud performer at the past two CMA Music Festivals, it’s an honor to represent CMA’s Keep the Music Playing, a program that gives back to schools in such a big way. Hosting the All Stars Concert and performing with the students of Sylvan Park Elementary has been an unforgettable experience and I’m glad I was able to share the stage with such talented young people.”

“Putting instruments in the hands of children is one of the most important initiatives undertaken by The CMA Foundation,” Kitty Moon Emery, Chair of The CMA Foundation Board of Directors, said. “Supporting music education is an investment in the future of our city and our industry. It is an honor to nurture these young performers and provide them with the resources and opportunities they need and to advance their skills and achieve their dreams.”

CMA Foundation exists to provide financial support to worthwhile causes that are important to CMA and the Country Music community. The group places special emphasis on serving the needs of CMA’s core constituents and nonprofit organizations with initiatives that preserve the legacy of the format, support music education, and respond to other needs identified by CMA.

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