DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation Announce Winners of the "Battle for the Bands"

NEW YORK, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation will announce the winners of the second annual "Battle for the Bands" initiative today. The campaign, which mobilized young people in the fight for keeping music education in schools and asked them to run creative advocacy projects in their communities or film music videos featuring performances and a testimonial about why music education matters to them, saw over 20,000 teens participate.

Projects and videos were uploaded to DoSomething.org/Battle and submissions were shared on Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness about the issue.

Amber Riley and Keri Hilson both acted as campaign spokespeople, starring in the PSA campaign and engaging their fans through social media support and personalized prizing for the most active teen participants. Hilson and Riley attracted the attention and support of many other artists including Cody Simpson, Sick Puppies, Tinie Tempah, and Greyson Chance.

The campaign ran from March 1st  through May 1st 2011 and featured a panel of expert judges including representatives from VH1, Capitol Records, EMI, Sony Music, Clear Channel, Live Nation, NAMM:The National Association of Music Merchants, MENC: The National Association For Music Education, Universal Motown, Vanguard Records, and indie-pop recording artist Ingrid Michaelson who evaluated the bands based on creativity, strength of argument to keep music in school, and overall participation.  

"It was inspiring to see the effect that music has had on the kids in the submissions. It was a pleasure to be a judge." - Ingrid Michaelson

Thanks to support from the Hot Topic Foundation, the Grand Prize winning video and project, The Rooftop School in San Francisco, CA and Mountain View High School in Vancouver, WA each will receive a $5000 grant for their school music program. In addition to funding, The Grand Prize winning video also won a trip to New York City to perform at B.B. King's on May 23rd at the Kickoff to the Do Something Awards event.  The Grand Prize winning advocacy project will also be featured on VH1 News, VH1.com, and VH1SaveTheMusic.com. Sasche High School, Comsewogue High School, No Affiliation Urban Youth Music Program, and Hazelbrook Middle School were also selected to receive $1000 for their school music programs.

"We were blown away by the quantity and quality of the entries in this year's Battle for The Bands initiative which has become a perfect partnership between the VH1 Save The Music Foundation's mission and DoSomething.org's expertise at the grassroots level," said Tom Calderone, President of VH1 and Chairman of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "All the submissions were so well done, it was hard to pick a winner this year.   We want to thank all of the amazing people who gave their time to help this year's initiative including Keri Hilson, Amber Riley and Ingrid Michaelson and all of the other artists and executives.  I am honored to introduce the Grand Prize Winners on stage at B.B. King's!"

DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation presented "Battle for the Bands" projects to senators and members of congress at events on Capitol Hill last week.  This is the second year that the organizations have taken the campaign results and presented the student voice to decision makers on national education policy. They are committed to ensuring that young people play a role in deciding the fate of their own education.  

Studies show that children who study music and the arts have higher grades, score better on standardized tests, have better attendance records and are more active in community affairs than other students.

To learn more and see all the "Battle for the Bands" projects, visit www.dosomething.org/battle.

About DoSomething.org: DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US that helps young people rock causes they care about. A driving force in creating a culture of volunteerism, DoSomething.org is on track to activate two million young people in 2011. By leveraging the web, television, mobile, and pop culture, DoSomething.org inspires, empowers and celebrates a generation of doers:  teenagers who recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action.  Plug in at www.DoSomething.org.

About The VH1 Save The Music Foundation: The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America's public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child's complete education. To date, VH1 Save The Music has provided more than $47 million in new musical instruments to 1,750 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.6 million children.  The 2012 Ambassador Class - dedicated to raising awareness and funds to benefit The Foundation - includes:  Amber Riley, Ciara, Jewel, John Legend, John Mayer, Kristin Chenoweth, Lifehouse and Sara Bareilles.  Get involved at www.vh1savethemusic.com and follow us on twitter @vh1savethemusic.

Contact:
Laura Giangiulio/MetroPR
310.601.3211
[email protected]

Nick Carcaterra
Susan Blond, Inc.
212.333.7728 ext.126
[email protected]

SOURCE VH1