The VH1 Save The Music Foundation Announces its Inaugural First Make Music, Then Make History Campaign with 2008-2009 Ambassadors

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation Announces its Inaugural First Make Music, Then Make History Campaign with 2008-2009 Ambassadors

Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Chris Webber, Gavin DeGraw, Ne-Yo, Johnny Rzeznik, Natasha Bedingfield, The Fray, Tamia, 3 Doors Down and Venus Williams To Serve as The Foundation's First Artist Ambassadors

The Foundation Announces Upcoming Events Including "Jersey Boys" Promotion and Esquire House Hollywood Hills

NEW YORK, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The VH1 Save The Music Foundation announced today its inaugural First Make Music, then Make History campaign. The new initiative will feature Ambassadors including superstars Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Chris Webber, Gavin DeGraw, Ne-Yo, Johnny Rzeznik, The Fray, Tamia, 3 Doors Down and Venus Williams. The campaign will kick-off on October 20 with Grammy-Nominated Singer-Songwriter Ambassador Natasha Bedingfield serving as the face of the campaign for the month of October.

Throughout the year, these Ambassadors will help raise awareness for The Foundation by performing at select national events and visiting with public school students to share their experiences about how music impacted their lives and careers.

To coincide with the campaign, VH1 Save The Music will premiere new Public Service Announcements (PSAs) beginning in October that will feature some of the Ambassadors and will run on VH1. In addition, each month, one Ambassador will be featured on The Foundation's website, www.vh1savethemusic.com with a special written appeal to ask for the public's involvement with music education.

"For more than a decade, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has been a leader in restoring instrumental music education programs in America's public schools and raising awareness about the importance of music as a part of every child's complete education," says Paul Cothran, Executive Director, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "Our Ambassadors will help spread this important message and inspire a new generation to make music an integral part of their lives. Their participation will help us continue our efforts to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to reap the benefits that music has to offer."

Since 1997, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has successfully restored and sustained instrumental music programs in 1,600 public schools in more than 100 cities across the country, including Memphis, Houston, Chicago, New York, Denver, Baltimore and Milwaukee. Over the past ten years, various artists and celebrities have shown their devotion to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation by partnering with the organization as they've reached out to struggling school districts across the country. To date, The Foundation has provided more than $43 million in new musical instruments, affecting the lives of more than 1.2 million children.

This fall VH1 Save The Music will partner for exclusive events including:

"Jersey Boys" Celebrates Four Seasons In Chicago With Month-Long Benefit To Support Music Education In Chicago Public Schools

The record-breaking Chicago Company of JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, is celebrating their first anniversary in Chicago this October. To commemorate the occasion, JERSEY BOYS is teaming up with Comcast and for each ticket sold to an October performance, JERSEY BOYS will donate a dollar to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. JERSEY BOYS is committed to raising enough funds to restore one of Chicago Public School's music education programs for a full year. In addition, VH1 Save The Music students will take master classes with the JERSEY BOYS cast in November. For tickets to JERSEY BOYS, call Broadway in Chicago at 312-902-1400, visit the Bank of America Theatre 18 W. Monroe, or go online www.JerseyBoysChicago.com.

VH1 Save The Music Partners with Esquire Magazine's 'Hollywood Hills' House to Celebrate Music Education in LA Public Schools

Esquire magazine has recently unveiled its sixth annual Signature Space, called "Esquire House Hollywood Hills," transforming a stunning, contemporary home into a true personification of the modern man's lifestyle. Charity events held at the Esquire Signature Spaces have raised more than $7 million to date, and on Saturday, October 25, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation will once again partner with the magazine for a spectacular bash to benefit The Foundation's work to restore instrumental music education programs.

The exclusive event will feature a special performance by Gavin Rossdale. A limited number of tickets are available for $300. To purchase, call 212-654-5956 or email RSVP@vh1.com

Since the VH1 Save The Music Foundation was created in 1997, more than $43 million worth of new musical instruments have been donated to 1,600 public schools in 100 cities, improving the lives of more than 1.2 million children.

Now in its eleventh year, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America's public schools by restoring music education programs in cities across the U.S. and raising awareness of the importance of music participation for our nation's youth.

The national partner organizations of VH1 Save The Music include the American Association of School Administrators, the American Music Conference, America's Promise-The Alliance for Youth, ASCAP Foundation, Chief State School Officers Association, MENC-The National Association for Music Education, NAMM-International Music Products Association, National School Boards Association and the U.S. Department of Education.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in nearly 90 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul. Connect with VH1 at www.vh1.com.

VH1 is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom International Inc. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.

Contacts: Nyle Washington/VH1 Elizabeth Rosenthal/Susan Blond Inc

212-846-5576 212-333-7728 x105

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: VH1

CONTACT: Nyle Washington, of VH1, +1-212-846-5576; or Elizabeth
Rosenthal, of Susan Blond Inc, +1-212-333-7728 x105

Web Site: http://www.jerseyboyschicago.com/
http://www.vh1.com/
http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment