RESTON, VA (June 16, 2008) – Gentlemen’s Quarterly (GQ) magazine has named MENC: The National Association for Music Education one of five charitable organizations chosen as recipients of the 2008 Gentlemen’s Fund initiative. The Gentlemen’s Fund raises support and awareness in the areas of education, opportunity, health, environment, and mentorship. MENC was selected to represent the education pillar in association with Hewlett Packard (HP) and musical artist/producer Timbaland.
“MENC is pleased to be a recipient charity of the 2008 Gentlemen’s Fund,” said John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC. “Our 130,000 members are delighted to work with Timbaland and Hewlett Packard to get the word out about how crucial music education is to young people’s success in school and later in life.”
“A November 2007 Harris Interactive Poll found individuals who studied music were more likely to pursue higher education and to obtain higher income levels,” continued Mahlmann. “This is just one of the many pieces of evidence supporting the importance of school music to the development of successful adults.”
On May 22, “Gentlemen’s Fund Ambassador” Timbaland appeared at Salem High School in Virginia Beach, VA to announce his support and interact with students. “The day we spent with Timbaland, GQ, and HP was incredible. The day benefited the school, the students, and the entertainers/businesses,” said Eva K. Roupas, director of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School. “It was a wonderful merging of all of these dynamics … Timbaland was outstanding. He provided excellent insights, and his candor and honesty impressed our students immensely. They couldn’t get enough.”
The Gentlemen’s Fund 2008 initiative launches today at http://www.thegentlemensfund.com/.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world’s largest arts education organization, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 130,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC’s activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.
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