Indie Band Raises $1 Million for Underfunded School Music Program

 
Together with StubHub and Dr. Martens, indie band “Portugal. The Man” is helping to raise $1 million to go to schools with underfunded musical programs.
The money is being raised for the purchase of musical instruments, in hopes that they will inspire a new generation of  artists and musicians. The program is wired to donate to schools all across the country, focusing specifically on institutions that are underfunded.
It has been set up in partnership with MHOF (Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation), which is dedicated to musical education. There are many schools that are not able to provide an artistic outlet for their youth.
This program intends to help kids stay off the streets and give them a healthy creative focus, which many of them do not get the opportunity to discover. Many schools are not able to provide this type of expression for their pupils, in an environment that is conductive to their spirit and individuality.
The first city to benefit from the project will be Austin, Texas. Austin is home of SXSW, the South by Southwest music, film, and interactive festival- where the project was introduced earlier this week. Two schools in Austin will be some of the first, receiving more than $80,000 worth of musical instruments this year.
In a recent press release, Felice Mancini (President and CEO of MHOF) said, “Sadly, due to the high cost of musical instruments, school music programs around the country are struggling, even when the will to keep them alive is strong.”