Mayor Bill Purcell, Wynonna, Ed Hardy (President, Great American Country) and Jonah Rabinowitz (exec. Dir., W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School).
Photo Courtesy of Lee Hall
GAC provided a financial grant to underwrite the cost of a new, colorful van to transport students to their music training at the school. GAC also will assist in developing a curriculum in the country music genre and will provide volunteer instructors.
"The W.O. Smith institution is important to our community and to the industry in which we work," said Ed Hardy, president of GAC and a member of the board of directors for the W.O. Smith School. "As a significant member of the music industry, it only makes sense for GAC to partner with this organization to provide training and encouragement for the musicians of tomorrow. This is the type of program that literally can put a young person on a course for a successful future."
Wynonna was behind the wheel of the new van, which is brightly adorned with colorful images of musical instruments, when it was formally unveiled at today's event.
"Growing up I learned the ins and outs of musicianship and the music industry by observing the artists I looked up to," Wynonna said. "Introducing the van to the students and supporting the school has helped me give back to the community and will help students hone the skills that will benefit them in the future."
W.O. Smith, is named for William Oscar Smith, a musician with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and professor at Tennessee State University, who dreamed of a school where children from low-income families would have access to music instruction of the highest quality. His dream resulted in the Community Music School, which was founded in 1984.
More than 350 students, ages 7 to 18, from low-income families across Metro Nashville are offered lessons in reading, composing and playing music for the low cost of $1 per lesson.
"GAC's support will ensure we can continue to serve the community as our founder dreamed," said Jonah Rabinowitz, the school's executive director. "The programs and instructions our students receive prepare them for higher education and, if they continue their instruction, careers in music."
About W.O. Smith
Since 1984, the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School has provided music education to thousands of low-income children who otherwise would not have been able to afford such instruction. Blessed by an active volunteer community of musicians who live and work in one of the must vibrant music communities in the nation, the school has benefited tremendously from their tireless dedication to the children and their ability to enrich these young lives with the gift of music. For 20 years the school has operated out of two aging homes on the edge of famous Music Row. Because the need is great, the school has recently launched its "If I Had A Hammer" capital campaign in order to raise the necessary funds to relocate to a larger facility. The address may change, but the mission statement will remain the same: to prepare children for life through music and commitment to personal integrity.
About Great American Country
Great American Country is America's main street for the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. In addition to country music videos, GAC features original programming, special musical performances and live concerts, and is the exclusive television home of the Grand Ole Opry. GAC is available in more than 44 million households and online at GACTV.com.
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