Give a Note Foundation Names New Board Members

Give a Note Foundation was created in 2011 by the National Association for Music Education with a vision of giving every child the opportunity to participate in school music programs. Four years later, the foundation continues to grow and recently announced two new board members as part of its restructuring to further support music education.

Renier Fee and Chris Syllaba will join the Give a Note Foundation's board. Fee oversees marketing for Music & Arts, the largest school music retailer and lesson provider in the country with more than 500 retail and affiliate locations, 120 educational representatives, and 33,000 lesson students. Syllaba is the president and CEO of Jordan Kitts Music and is an active member of music industry associations, including NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), NAfME (National Association for Music Education).

"It makes sense for us to have leaders from some of the country's top music education organizations on our board; this will not only help us build more awareness, but will also strengthen our overall efforts," said Beth Slusher, president and board chair, Give a Note Foundation. "Renier and Chris bring an abundance of knowledge from reputable companies that we believe will positively impact what we are trying to accomplish."

Give a Note Foundation added Fee and Syllaba to support its renewed mission on music education. New focuses for the foundation include increasing philanthropy and partnership opportunities.

"We rent hundreds of thousands of instruments and give more than one million music lessons each year so we know there is an appreciation for music, but we understand it's not always accessible. We're excited to help bring music to the forefront," said Fee.

Give a Note Foundation members will meet at the National In-Service professional development conference in October where this year's theme is empowering creativity in learning music.

"Music education programs do so much for students, and I am honored to help Give a Note Foundation make learning music a more viable option for students and families," said Syllaba.

To learn more about Give a Note Foundation, visit http://www.giveanote.org.
# # #

About Give a Note Foundation
Since 2011, Give a Note Foundation has conducted national awareness campaigns and raised funds to support and strengthen music education programs across the U.S. The programs have reached millions of parents and students and provided more than $1 million in direct grants to schools. Learn more about Give a Note Foundation Help give the gift of music. Text "MusicEd GAN" to 20222 to donate $10. Message & Data Rates May Apply. Details: http://www.giveanote.org/contribute/

About Music & Arts
The first Music & Arts, run by founder Benjamin O'Brien, opened in 1952 and was located in a small house in Bethesda, MD. Still run by the O'Brien family today, Music & Arts now has more than 500 retail and affiliate locations, 120 educational representatives and 33,000 lesson students making it the nation's largest school music retailer and lesson provider. Now based in Frederick, MD, the company of trained musicians offers friendly service for everything musical in your life including instruments, lessons, rentals and repairs. Visit MusicArts.com for more information.

About Jordan Kitt's Music
Jordan Kitt's Music was founded in 1912 in Washington DC by Arthur Jordan and Homer L. Kitt. Now headquartered in Rockville, MD the venerable piano and keyboard retailer has locations in both the DC Metro and Atlanta markets. Jordan Kitt's Music, a venerable 100+ year old piano retailer and lesson provider, was recently acquired by long-time company veterans Chris Syllaba and Ray Fugere and continues a century-long tradition of piano sales, rentals, lessons and service. It has long-standing relationships and partnerships with virtually every major educational and cultural organization in Washington DC and Atlanta. Visit http://www.jordankitts.com/.