NAMM's Fifth Annual National Wanna Play Music Week May 2-8 Kicks Off Today with 'Music Monday' in Schools Nationwide and Hopes to Inspire People of All Ages to Play Music Throughout the Week

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) kicked off the fifth anniversary of its National Wanna Play Music Week today, an effort to inspire people of all ages to pick up an instrument and experience the fun and benefits of making music.

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The week kicks off today with "Music Monday," featuring more than 2,000 schools, organizations and individuals across North America who will be demonstrating their musical talents by performing the designated "Music Monday" songs or a song of their choice.

NAMM again has collaborated with the Canadian-based Coalition of Music Education to support this inspiring North American event. The initiative hopes to galvanize people across the continent through the power of playing a song together at the same time, on the same day. In the U.S., the designated Music Monday song is "I Wanna Play!" by platinum recording artist Aaron Tippin and producer James Stroud. Music Monday participants will perform this year's theme song simultaneously today at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, 11 a.m. Mountain time, 12 p.m. Central time, 1 p.m. Eastern time, and 2 p.m. Atlantic time, symbolically uniting the country through one piece of music. People of all ages are also encouraged to try playing an instrument or play a song of their choice any time today.

Today also featured the launch of the "Find a Place to Play" locator tool on the Wanna Play? campaign's website www.wannaplaymusic.com, which was designed to help people who are already playing instruments find a place to play live—either by themselves or with a group.

With an overwhelming 85 percent of people in the U.S. who have not played an instrument reporting a regret for not incorporating a musical instrument in their lives,

National Wanna Play Music Week is committed to motivating and inspiring people of all ages to make a positive personal change through music.

"NAMM dedicates this week to all those who play, and to all those who wish they did," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. "People have played music since the dawn of recorded human history and modern research is validating that music making builds our minds, heals our bodies and, in my opinion, is about as close to a 'fountain of youth' as we'll ever find."

Beginning today and through May 8, NAMM will promote the benefits and celebrate the spirit of playing music and singing through various activities, including:

Wednesday, May 4: Best Communities for Music Education – Everyone starts somewhere, and chances are it's in music class. To recognize that fact, the NAMM Foundation will announce its "Best Communities for Music Education," honoring schools and communities that work hard to make music a part of a complete education for every child.

Thursday, May 5: America's Favorite Unexpected Musician – It's surprising how many celebrities (including actors, authors, sports stars and politicians) also play music just for fun. NAMM will feature many of these "unexpected celebrity musicians" in creative ways on this day and announce the celebrity chosen nationwide as the top unexpected musician, from NAMM's official Unexpected Musician Database on wannaplaymusic.com.

Friday-Sunday, May 6-8: National Music Store Weekend – Bringing National Wanna Play Music Week to a close, National Music Store Weekend is a celebration of the local music store in every community. The weekend event honors the hub of all things musical – the local community music store – and encourages non-musicians to pay these stores a visit in order to get started on their musical journey.

About NAMM's Wanna Play? Public Awareness Campaign

NAMM's national Wanna Play? public awareness campaign is dedicated to increasing awareness of the proven benefits of playing musical instruments for people of all ages. Since the campaign's launch in November 2006, the key messages about the fun and many proven benefits of playing music have reached millions of people through national public relations efforts. In addition, Wanna Play? has the support of more than 100 celebrities, including Jack Black, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., Band from TV, Orianthi, and Gary Sinise. For more information and to get involved, interested parties can visit www.wannaplaymusic.com.

About NAMM
The National Association of Music Merchants, commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization's popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion global musical instruments and products industry. NAMM's activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of more than 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM, please visit http://www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

*2009 Gallup Poll: Public Attitudes Towards Music

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jessica del Mundo or Marlene Esqueda – GolinHarris
Public Relations | Phone: 213-623-4200
[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE National Association of Music Merchants