CMA Music Festival Strikes Up the Band to 'Keep the Music Playing' for Metro Nashville Public School Students

CMA Music Festival Strikes Up the Band to 'Keep the Music Playing' for Metro Nashville Public School Students

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Country Music Star Kellie Pickler On Hand to Deliver Donated Instruments to Thurgood Marshall Middle School

HCA Donates 800 Tickets to High School Students for Saturday, June 7, Nightly Concert the VAULT Stage at LP Field

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, BNA Records star Kellie Pickler and Country Music Association Chief Executive Officer Tammy Genovese were at Thurgood Marshall Middle School today for a special delivery. A truckload of musical instruments and equipment were delivered to the students courtesy of "Keep the Music Playing" and CMA Music Festival.

"We are thrilled to be making this delivery today," said Genovese. "Due to the generosity of the artists who donate their time to perform for free at CMA Music Festival, we are able to supply not only Thurgood Marshall, but 29 other schools in the Metro Nashville public schools system with the musical equipment they desperately need."

"The Keep the Music Playing program is an example of the community involvement needed to improve our schools," said Mayor Dean. "Through this donation, CMA is bringing music education into our classrooms and making a difference in the lives of our students and in turn, the future of our city."

"Music is so dear to my heart," said Pickler. "I think it's great that these kids are able to get involved in music at a young age. It's an outlet to get away from your normal class schedules, it's a challenge, and it's a positive thing for kids to get involved in."

CMA Music Festival contributes half the net proceeds from the annual four-day event to music education for Metro Nashville's 75,000 public school students through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education called "Keep the Music Playing." To date, CMA has donated more than $1.1 million to purchase hundreds of instruments, lighting and sound equipment, piano labs and more on behalf of the artists who donate their time and perform for free at the annual Festival.

"Music education is an important contributor to student success, and this donation has opened up an opportunity for a large group of students to get into music, who wouldn't have had the opportunity otherwise," said Pam Garrett, Executive Director of the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. "We thank CMA for its generosity and commitment to education."

"On behalf of the instrumental students at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, let me say how appreciative we are for the donation of instruments provided by the Country Music Association," said Kevin Dye, band director at Thurgood Marshall Middle School. "We are grateful for the artists who donate their time at the Festival benefiting the students in the Metro Nashville Public Schools. The CMA donation will allow students at Thurgood Marshall Middle School the opportunity to undergo the greatest experience of all, which is to learn to play and master a musical instrument. Music allows students the ability to express their emotions, work together as a team, develop critical thinking skills, and stay engaged in school. Thank you so much for the opportunity you have provided our students."

The instruments donated today were purchased with a gift of $655,624 from proceeds of the 2007 CMA Music Festival. Other schools receiving instruments include: Antioch Middle School, Apollo Middle School, Bailey Middle School, Bass Middle School, Bellevue Middle School, Croft Middle Design Center, Ewing Park Middle School, Dupont Hadley Middle School, Gra Mar Middle School, Glenn Enhanced Option, H.G. Hill Middle School, Hume-Fogg Magnet School, Hunters Lane High School, John Early Middle School, John F. Kennedy Middle School, Isaac Litton Middle School, Maxwell Elementary School, McGavock High School, McKissack Middle School, McMurray Middle School, Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School, Meigs Middle Magnet School, Henry Oliver Middle School, Overton High School, Pearl-Cohn High School, Tulip Grove Elementary School, Stratford High School and Wright Middle School.

HCA will be making it possible for high school students in Metro Nashville Public Schools to attend the 2008 CMA Music Festival. With a donation of 800 tickets for the Saturday, June 9, nightly concert on the VAULT(TM) Stage at LP Field, these students will be able to see performances by Trace Adkins, Rodney Atkins, Alan Jackson, Little Big Town, Craig Morgan and Kenny Rogers.

"HCA supports the CMA Music Festival for a number of reasons," said Jack Bovender, Chairman and CEO of HCA. Chief among these are our commitment to Nashville and our support for Metro Schools, but the Festival brings the added benefit of providing a special, entertaining event for HCA/TriStar employees to enjoy. We have consistently supported the Festival in the past, but this year, due to CMA's generous support of the music program in Metro Schools, we are also making it possible for 800 students to participate in this great, city-wide event."

"HCA was one of the first members of the Nashville business community to support CMA Music Festival when we moved downtown," said Genovese. "Through their generous donation we have been able to achieve our goal of involving more students in Festival. This year the number of students that will be able to attend the festival has doubled."

In addition to students being able to attend the Festival, students from local Metro Nashville Public Schools will help kick off this year's events. Drum corps from Antioch and Overton High Schools will be participating in the Fourth Annual CMA Music Festival Kickoff Parade on Wednesday, June 4, at 2:00 PM/CT. Starting at the corner of Broadway and Sixth Avenue North, the parade will wind through downtown Nashville ending at the corner of Demonbreun and Sixth Avenue.

CMA Music Festival is Nashville's signature musical event celebrating America's music. The event brings together not only people in Middle Tennessee, but also fans from all over the world. With record setting attendance in 2007 of 191,000 over four days, CMA anticipates being able to contribute even more to the Nashville Alliance for Public Education to be used for school music programs in the future.

Now in its 37th year, the 2008 CMA Music Festival will be held on Thursday through Sunday, June 5-8 in Downtown Nashville. Dubbed the "crown jewel of Country Music Festivals" by USA Today and winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association's 2006 LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year, the event features for days packed with music, autograph signings, family activities, sporting competitions, and much more.

Tickets to the individual Nightly Concerts on the VAULT (TM) stages at LP Field are on sale for $40 for reserved seats on the lower and club levels, and $30 for general admission in the upper deck of LP Field (plus applicable handling fees). To order tickets call 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378); visit www.ticketmaster.com to buy online or charge-by-phone at (615) 255-9600. The Nightly Concerts are also included in the Festival's four-day ticket packages and can be purchased through the same means.

For more information on the 2008 CMA Music Festival, including a list of artists appearing and a schedule of activities, please visit www.CMAfest.com.

CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. CMA Board member Tony Conway is the Executive Producer of CMA Music Festival. Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio broadcaster. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music. Borders(R) Books & Music: The Exclusive Music & Book retailer of the CMA Music Festival. Wrangler(R): The Exclusive Jean of the CMA Music Festival. Additional promotional partners include, CMT(TM), Dr Pepper(R), Greased Lightning(R) Cleaning Products, Mary Kay(R), McDonald's(R), Music City Rising Star, Tetley(R) Iced Tea, truTV(TM), and VAULT(TM). Fan Fair(R) is a registered trademark of CMA.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Maria Eckhardt of Country Music Association, +1-615-244-2840;
or Woody McMillin of MNPS, +1-615-259-8404; or Andrea Mills of McNeely Pigott
& Fox, +1-615-259-4000

Web site:

http://www.cmaworld.com/
http://www.cmafest.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For information, logos and downloadable photos, visit our media-only website, www.CMApress.com. You may also register on this site for media credentials to cover activities during the 2008 CMA Music Festival.

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