DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation Release Crowd-Sourced Music Video with Phillip Phillips to Save Music Education Programs

The campaign is the DoSomething.org's first ever YouTube based campaign to unite young people in the US for music education

NEW YORK, July 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation released the final crowd-sourced music video for Band Together: a national campaign that rallied young people to create a crowd-sourced music video with singer-songwriter and American Idol winner Phillip Phillips.

How it worked: each week, for six weeks, Phillip Phillips delivered an easy video challenge on YouTube. Young people participated in the challenge by uploading a video on YouTube of them performing the action. Each week, the creators of the best video selected a VH1 Save The Music Foundation school to receive a grant for their music programs. The best user-submitted videos were mixed into a YouTube cover of Phillip Phillips' hit song "Gone, Gone, Gone."

The music education programs that were helped as a result of the program were

• Buena Vista Elementary (Del Rio, TX)
• Wellsburg Middle (Wellsburg, WV)
• Hamilton Middle School (Columbus, OH)
• Mary M Knight (Elma, WA)
• Calmeca Academy of Fine Arts & Dual Language (Chicago, IL)
• Baccalaureate School for Global Education (Astoria, NY)

DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation will distribute the music video to local school boards, along with an advocacy message, in school districts where music education programs are at risk in addition to the funds that we are granting to school districts nationwide.

Band Together was formed to create a unique, innovative, and impactful way for young people nationwide to fight for music education in a way that meets them where they are: YouTube. The entire campaign lived on YouTube, the top music destination for teens today.

To encourage the YouTube community to take part in Band Together, DoSomething.org and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation teamed up with premiere YouTube talent like Max Schneider, Megan and Liz, Michael Buckley and Ryan Beatty to get their fans to participate. 

Why Music Education? Music programs are fighting for survival during these challenging economic times. Despite the proven fact that students who participate in music programs have better test scores, lower drug-use rates, lower drop-out rates, more success in college, and more involvement in their communities, music and arts education programs are seriously at risk.

"We are extremely excited to continue our partnership with DoSomething.org and have launched this innovative crowd sourcing video challenge," said Paul Cothran, Vice President and Executive Director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "Efforts like this, that inspire creativity and imagination, showcase some of the many things music brings out of each of us. To have the support of an artist like Phillip Phillips behind our cause is a great way to spread the word about the importance of music education and it was great to see all of the amazing submissions that led to the final video!"

Phillips led the charge for the campaign, filming a unique Public Service Announcement (PSA) where he delivered the weekly challenge to young people participating in the campaign.

"I literally got goose bumps when I watched it for the first time" says Phillips. "The image of young people fighting for music education by engaging with 'Gone, Gone, Gone' made me incredibly proud. My hope is that the Band Together video will drive advocacy work to save music education programs across the country."

"It's clear from the final Band Together video that music is a lifeline for young people," says Farah Sheikh, campaign lead at DoSomething.org. "We're proud that we were able to give young people a national platform to express that passion for music education through an exciting and unique offer: starring in a music video with Phillip Phillips."

A panel of DoSomething.org and VH1 Save The Music Foundation executives evaluated the video and project entries based on creativity, and overall participation.

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation restores instrumental music education programs at public elementary and middle schools across the country.  

Want to watch the final Band Together video (of course you do!)? Check it out on the DoSomething.org YouTube channel here.

About DoSomething.org
We love teens. They are creative, active, wired…and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn't require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change. Join us 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 $49.5 million in new musical instruments to 1,850 public schools in more than 192 school districts around the country, impacting the lives of over 2.1 million children. For more information please visit www.vh1savethemusic.org.

SOURCE DoSomething.org