Indaba Music // Blog

You may have heard, but our favorite non-profit, Education Through Music, is hosting a Battle of the Bands tonight, October 4th, at the Cutting Room in NYC (19 West 24th Street). Our very own Dan Zaccagnino, not to mention Seth Kallen will be taking the stage, so if you're in the New York area, you should stop by. ETM provides music education for at-risk kids in NY and LA, so it's something all of us here at Indaba can get behind. CLICK HERE (after the jump) to buy tickets, it's for a great cause!

 

Our favorite non-profit, Education Through Music, is hosting a Battle of the Bands this Thursday, October 4th, at the Cutting Room in NYC (19 West 24th Street). Our very own Dan Zaccagnino, not to mention Seth Kallen will be taking the stage, so if you're in the New York area, you definitely don't want to miss it. CLICK HERE (after the jump) to buy tickets, it's for a great cause!

 

Thank you to everyone who came out to hang out last night at our launch party and benefit for Education Through Music (ETM). Both events had a great turnout and it was great to see so many friends and Indaba members come out on a rainy NY night to show their support for music education and for Indaba. It seemed like everyone was having a great time and we know that we certainly did! The benefit had a packed house, increased awareness for ETM, and raised over $5,000. We want to thank everyone who was involved and made the event possible. In particular, The Ralph Lauren Rugby Store for hosting the benefit, Fontana's for hosting the after-party, ETM for putting so much effort into the planning and for having an organization with such a meaningful cause, Nevaris for putting on great shows at the store and at Fontana's, DJ Speedrail and DJ Alex Barnes for keeping the music going all night, VJ Full Stealth for the incredible visual show, Cape Classic Wines and PBR for making sure everyone's glasses were full with wine and beer, and Godiva Chocolates, Good Magazine, and all the other companies that generously donated cool stuff for the gift bags. Other highlights of evening included Kenny Growhowski (drummer for Nevaris) playing at the Rugby store with one drum stick and a piece of a Ralph Lauren hanger (after realizing he was one stick short!), a raffle for tickets to see The Killers with Indaba in April, and of course incredible performances by Nevaris, DJ Speedrail, VJ Full Stealth, and DJ Alex Barnes. It was great to have so many talented Indaba members show up as well, including J.D. Allen, Ryan Roberts, Mordy Ferber, Kris Bauman, and Timothy Reynolds, just to name a few. Sorry if we missed anyone! All in all it was a fantastic evening and we appreciate the hundreds of people who came out to support ETM and Indaba. We'll definitely be doing this again soon. - The Indaba Team

In the Summer of 2006, we first heard about Education Through Music (ETM) from our friend Andres at a party we were throwing. ETM provides music education to over 7,000 at-risk students in New York and LA through their Teaching Artists in programs designed to use music to enhance students' overall academic performance. It is a very positive organization run by an accomplished, passionate team. Over the last seven months, we have begun supporting them by raising awareness and creating fundraising opportunities in the music world and in New York City. On the evening of March 22, we will host a benefit concert and cocktail party featuring New York recording and performing artist Nevaris at the Rugby Ralph Lauren store on University Place from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The proceeds of the benefit will help fund a documentary film chronicling ETM’s work in New York schools. Tickets for the benefit are $40 including gift bag ($50 after March 12) and are available online here. In celebration of our recent launch, the evening will continue with an after-party sponsored by Cape Classics wines at Fontana's (105 Eldridge, on the Lower East Side) featuring expanded sets by Nevaris, DJ Speedrail and VJ Stealth. Nevaris, signed with Uncomun Records, is a singer/songwriter, producer, and native New Yorker whose self-titled debut album blends ballad-like lyrics and melodies with funk beats and reggae breaks. About Education Through Music: Education Through Music, Inc. (ETM) is a non-profit that makes music education a reality for thousands of at-risk children who would otherwise have limited or no exposure to the arts. Since 1991, ETM has harnessed the power of music to enhance the academic performance and general development of its students. ETM currently serves over 7,000 children in 15 schools in New York City, and their model is being adopted by school districts across the country, including their newest affiliate in Los Angeles. If you want to learn more about ETM, including how you can get involved, message Emily here on Indaba. - David

At the Grammys last night president of the Recording Academy Neil Portnow spoke about the importance of making music education a reality for all students by encouraging viewers to reach out to their elected leaders and rally for this important cause. Grammy.com has set up a page where they have indexed local representatives, making it easy to contact them and voice your opinion. Portnow went a step further to show that people do care about this issue and that actions are being taken. He commented that "There are some encouraging signs out there. Just this year, The Recording Academy and the music community rallied their forces here in California to reverse the trend of reduced funding. The result: more than 100 million dollars for music education with millions more for instruments in schools." I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about another encouraging sign in the effort to preserve and enhance music education: Education Through Music (ETM). ETM serves at-risk children in NY and LA by creating music programs in schools which otherwise could not afford to have any music education. The organization provides all the instruments, teaching artists, curriculum development, and ongoing support for each school. What I find particularly interesting about ETM is the way they approach music education - it isn't about creating musicians, it's about using music to help students broaden their overall educational skills. The ETM program extends beyond just music theory and practice, it teaches history, math, geography, physics, and many other subjects intrinsic to music. Where is the La Scala Opera house? How did Beethoven use his understanding of Math to write music when he was deaf? What did Stradivari understand about the physics of making violins that allowed him to produce instruments hundreds of years ago that can't be matched by any maker today? Music provides a different framework for learning about all kinds of subjects. Indaba Music has been involved with ETM since last September and we're excited to continue working with them. To further support ETM, we’re proud to have taken out an ad in the latest issue of GOOD Magazine, a great new publication focusing on social entrepreneurship and everything “good” going on in the world. The ad enables us all to support ETM - so check it out on page 77 of GOOD! While you're at it, become a subscriber and 100% of your $20 contribution goes to a charity of your choice. - Dan