CMA’s Keep The Music Playing Donates $1.2 Million

The CMA Foundation donated $1.2 million to benefit music education programs in Nashville’s public schools. Pictured (L-R): CMA Board President, Ed Hardy; CMA Board Chairman, Troy Tomlinson; CMA Chief Executive Officer, Steve Moore; Director of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Dr. Jesse Register; Scotty McCreery; Nashville Mayor Karl Dean; Chevrolet National Promotions Manager, Michael Weidman; Chair of The CMA Foundation Board of Directors, Kitty Moon Emery; and Nashville Public Education Foundation Board Chair, Michael Carter, Sr. Photo credit: Donn Jones/CMA

The CMA Foundation donated $1.2 million to benefit music education programs through the Keep the Music Playing campaign last night (Feb. 20) at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The money raised from the 2012 CMA Music Festival will benefit Nashville’s 81,000 public school students.

The announcement raises CMA’s Keep the Music Playing support of music education in Metro Schools to more than $6.5 million. This money has been 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.

“Providing instruments for every Metro school is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “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.”

In 2006, the Keep the Music Playing program was established to give back to the community on behalf of the hundreds of Country artists who perform and make appearances at CMA Music Festival each year for free.

The announcement of the 2012 CMA Music Festival donation was made at a reception prior to the Fourth Annual CMA Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The All Stars Concert honors the best elementary, middle, and high school performance groups selected from Metro Schools. CMA Award nominee Scotty McCreery hosted the concert.

During the program, Michael Weidman, Chevrolet National Promotions Manager, presented a new Chevrolet Traverse, which will be used to pick up and deliver instruments for the Keep the Music Playing-funded instrument repair facility for Metro Schools; which means repaired instruments will get back into the hands of students faster.

With this announcement, the total figure for the Keep the Music Playing program is $7.6 million. This figure includes a $1 million endowment gift for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s “Words & Music” program, support of the 2012 W.O. Smith summer camp program, and a recent instrument donation to P.S. 103 in the Bronx, NY.

The 2013 CMA Music Festival will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9.