Students to Play a Different Tune this Monday, May 23 as Baseball Star Turned Musician Bernie Williams and Music Product Companies Donate New Instruments and Accessories to D.C.'s Friendship Tech Prep Academy

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New York Yankee turned Latin GRAMMY-nominated guitarist Bernie Williams, along with dozens of music products industry leaders, will donate musical instruments and accessories and provide three hours of music education taught by master teachers on drum, ukulele and guitar lessons to students at D.C.'s Friendship Tech Prep Academy, Mon., May 23. Williams, who recently graduated from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, will be sharing his message with students that music is an important part of a well-rounded education.

WHO: Middle school students and former New York Yankee turned Latin GRAMMY-nominated guitarist Bernie Williams, NAMM President and CEOJoe Lamond, and other music industry leaders.
WHAT: Donation of musical instruments and accessories; ukulele, guitar and drum lessons for Friendship Tech Prep students (engaging photo and b-roll, interview opportunities).

WHEN/WHERE: Monday, May 23, 2016, performance and welcome assembly, 8:30 a.m.; students learning ukulele, guitar and drums continues until 11 a.m.  The Friendship Tech Prep Academy is located at 2705 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032

On Wednesday, Williams and representatives from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), the Country Music Association (CMA) and VH1's Save the Music Foundation will make the rounds on Capitol Hill, meeting with Members of Congress to discuss the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the new federal education law, along with new provisions that may allow more resources to be directed to music education and the arts. Under the previous federal education law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), subjects such as music were eliminated due to pressure to narrow curriculum because of required standardized testing. Williams and representatives from NAMM, CMA and VH1 Save the Music Foundation intend to highlight ESSA's inclusion of "music" and "arts" in the definition of a "Well-Rounded Education" with the goal of getting music and arts included as part of the curriculum in all schools.
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About The NAMM Foundation 
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 10,300 members around the world. The NAMM Foundation works to advance active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.