Toyota and VH1 Save The Music National Music Education Program Culminates with Grant Presentation to Chicago Area Schools

Sir the Baptist performing with students at John Spry Community School as part of Toyota Giving and VH1 Save The Music’s grant presentation
Sir the Baptist performing with students at John Spry Community School as part of Toyota Giving and VH1 Save The Music’s grant presentation

Toyota and VH1 Save The Music National Music Education Program Culminates with Grant Presentation to Chicago Area Schools

Chicago, IL- Toyota and VH1 Save The

Music’s national music festival activation and

social media campaign #ToyotaGiving came

to a close recently as Toyota presented three

Chicago area schools each with $10,000

grants that will provide musical instruments

and equipment to each school.

At an energetic school-wide assembly

held at John Spry Community Elementary

School recently, Tyler McBride, Engagement

Marketing Manager at Toyota, and Chiho

Feindler, Senior Director of Programs and

Policy at VH1 Save The Music, awarded

the grants to the three participating

schools – John Spry Community, Goudy

Technology Academy, and Daniel Boone

Elementary. John Spry’s Assistant Principal

Pablo Guzman and Chicago Public Schools’

Director of Arts Education Evan Plummer

were also on-hand to present the grant and

spoke to the importance of music education

in Chicago’s public schools. Chicago local

and self-proclaimed “Ghetto Gospel” singer

Sir the Baptist surprised the students with a

soulful performance of his track “What We

Got,” which brought the entire auditorium

to their feet. He also invited thirty music students from all three

schools up to the stage to perform a rousing rendition of “Wake

Up.” Several students performed with his band, adding elements

of violin, cello, and drums to the mix, while others stomped and

sang along with Sir to the chorus: “We gotta wake up, we can

change the world.”

The grant was achieved through an interactive festival

activation and social media campaign implemented at music

festivals nationwide, including Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, Voodoo

Music + Arts Experience, Stagecoach, Afropunk, Ruido Fest,

Firefly Music Festival, and Country 500. The activation engaged

with festivalgoers and artists through interactive large-scale

pointillism art pieces, unique to each festival and built using

plexiglass and multicolored globes. Festivalgoers and artists were

invited to write or draw their answer to the important question

– “What Does Music Mean to You?” – on the globes, which were

then added to the art piece. As each festival progressed, the mural

evolved as it slowly filled up with hand drawn pieces. By the end

of the festival weekend, the art was displayed for festivalgoers

to check out their handiwork, complete with hundreds of

personalized messages speaking to the importance of music.

Artists who participated in the activation had the below to say:

“Music means I am not alone” - Third Eye Blind’s Stephan

Jenkins

“Music is Everything” – City & Colour’s

Dallas Green

“Music is how we connect. Music is how

we express ourselves” – G-Eazy

With the eight festival run complete,

Toyota was able to fulfill a $40,000 donation

to VH1 Save The Music, which was divvied

up to fulfill three Keys + Kids grants at

three deserving Chicago schools. Each Keys

  • Kids grant consists of $10,000 worth

of musical instruments; a Casio Celviano

Grand Hybrid GP-500 Piano and 3 Casio

WK-7600 Music Workstations. VH1 Save

The Music established the Keys + Kids grant

in response to the growing need for highquality,

functional pianos, and to provide

even more students with a safe and inclusive

community to learn through the arts.

“Altruism is at the forefront of our

brand, so we’re thrilled to partner with VH1

Save The Music to support music education

across the country,” said Steve Appelbaum,

national engagement marketing manager,

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “Cultivating

curiosity and creativity is so integral to our

nation’s progress and VH1 Save The Music is the perfect

partner to help Toyota invest in the quality of education

across the country.”

“We are gearing up to celebrate 20 years at VH1

Save The Music and partners like Toyota have helped

significantly with our mission to ensure music is a

part of every child’s complete education,” says Henry

Donahue, executive director of VH1 Save The Music

Foundation. “We’re thrilled to be in these communities

and that our work over the summer has brought

instruments and music back to these schools.

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