TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota and VH1
Save The Music have completed their national music festival
activation and social media campaign to benefit music education.
The campaign came to a close last weekend as Toyota presented
LaPlace Elementary with a grant that will fund an entire
instrumental music program for the school. This will be the first
time in over a decade that the New
Orleans area elementary has been able to provide music
education to its students.
The grant was achieved through an interactive festival
activation and social media campaign implemented at music festivals
nationwide including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Nocturnal
Wonderland, Life is Beautiful and Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.
The activation engaged with festivalgoers through a life sized
Whispering Willow tree on the festival grounds. Participants
were asked to write what music means to them on a leaf, hang the
leaf on the tree, take a photo, and post to social media with the
hashtag #ToyotaGiving. For each social media post, Toyota donated
$1 to VH1 Save The Music.
With the five festival run complete, Toyota was able to fulfill
a $30,000 donation to VH1 Save The
Music, a grant substantial enough to restore a musical instrument
program for the entire school. LaPlace Elementary School was
selected as the grant recipient for a multitude of factors. Not
only is it the largest elementary school in the Parish, servicing
over 1,000 students, but the school had no music education program
in place. With this grant, LaPlace
was able to hire a music teacher to implement an instrumental music
program that will now thrive with the instruments and equipment
purchased and donated by the Foundation.
At a school wide assembly on Friday, Oct
30th, executives from Toyota and VH1 Save The
Music met with the Principal and new music teacher and previewed
the new music curriculum. Genre-defying artist Santigold was also
on hand to treat the students to a live performance.
"Music has given me the opportunity to explore the world and
connect with people internationally," says Santigold. "My music
studies helped me turn my passion into my living and gave me the
confidence to pursue my dreams and nurture my creativity. I am
proud to support the VH1 Save the Music campaign and the students
of LaPlace Elementary in New
Orleans. All of our children deserve and need music
education."
"Toyota is honored to help further music advocacy with a grant
to support the creation of an instrumental music program at LaPlace
Elementary School," says Steve
Appelbaum, National Manager of Engagement Marketing, Toyota
Motor Sales, U.S.A. "A curriculum
that includes music is invaluable in igniting the passion and
curiosity that encourages thinking outside of the box. Music
invites innovation - and innovation changes the world."
"We are so grateful for the Toyota's commitment as well as the
participation of Santigold and all of the outstanding artists who
lent their support and efforts in the music festivals and social
media campaign," says Paul Cothran,
Executive Director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. "Toyota's
leadership and generosity in this highly successful campaign made
it possible for the Foundation to provide a full package of
instruments, restoring for the students of LaPlace Elementary
School access to the exceptional benefits of music study, creative
expression and opportunities for brighter futures."
"We are grateful that so many people would come together to help
a school most probably haven't even heard of," says Superintendent
Kevin George. "We would like them to
know that our students are making music again and we are laying a
foundation that we hope will follow them throughout their
lives."
Special thanks to Tony Corley and
Proclamation Audio.
About Santigold
Santigold is a genre-defying musician,
style renegade, and visionary artist across multiple platforms
celebrated for her fearless ability to fuse unexpected elements
into bold new work. An artist whose perseverance relies on
invention, her singular aesthetic has made her a major muse watched
by the inspired world. Her sophmore album, Master of My Make
Believe became her first #1 album, topping the Billboard
Dance/ Electronic albums chart. She's won an ASCAP Pop Music award
(Vanguard Award), and has been nominated for a Q Award, MTV Europe
Music Award, and BRIT Award. Her recent brand collaborations
include a limited edition make up collection for Smashbox and an
accesories collection for Stance.
About VH1 Save The Music
The VH1 Save The Music
Foundation is a non-profit committed to ensuring that music
instruction is a core component to a complete education. Since
1997, we have partnered with more than 1900 public schools in
231 school districts to give children the tools and confidence
to excel in academics and in life. #PassTheNote and get
involved at vh1savethemusic.org join the conversation on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @vh1savethemusic.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the
Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building
vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and
Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we've built more than
25 million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the
U.S.) and directly employ more than 42,000 people (more than 33,000
in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in
the U.S.) sold more than 2.67 million cars and trucks (more than
2.35 million in the U.S.) in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all
Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road
today. Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the
environment. As part of this commitment, we share the
company's extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and
trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand
their ability to do good. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
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SOURCE Toyota