KEITH URBAN - W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School groundbreaking; $1 Million Grant from Bank of America Charitable Foundation Helps Provide
an Upgraded Facility for Music Education
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NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 3 /PRNewswire/ - The W.O. Smith Nashville
Community Music School today celebrated its next major growth spurt,
gathering for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the former Acuff Tire
Warehouse -- the future home of the new Music School. Keith Urban, on hand
for the event, served as the ceremony's special guest speaker, and the W.O.
Smith Children's Choir performed for the invited guests, staff, volunteers
and families.
During the presentation, John Stein, Tennessee President for Bank of
America, presented Jonah Rabinowitz, Executive Director for W.O. Smith,
with a $1 million donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation,
the largest contribution the school has received in its history, to support
the redesign, renovation and relocation of the school to its new location
on the corner of Edgehill and 8th Avenues. "Bank of America's generosity towards the "If I Had A Hammer" capital
campaign provides W.O. Smith Music School the opportunity to embark on this
ambitious endeavor that will change the lives of thousands of underserved
children," said Rabinowitz. "Like Bank of America, Keith Urban is a
longtime supporter and understands the value of music and music education
for young people. We are grateful to have such generous partners as we
celebrate an important milestone and continue our ongoing campaign to
achieve the dream of building this wonderful facility."
Well-known in Nashville and throughout the country for its endeavors to
bring music education to children from low-income families, W.O. Smith's
new facility will allow the organization to double enrollment to serve more
than 700 children, giving more students and volunteers the opportunity to
benefit from quality music instruction.
As part of Bank of America's corporate giving program, the grant is
being announced shortly after the company unveiled Bank of Opportunity(TM),
the theme for its new brand positioning. The W.O. Smith Music School grant
is one of several significant charitable donations that have been announced
to celebrate the power of opportunity.
"I am honored to serve as the chair for the school's capital campaign
and am pleased to present this grant as W.O. Smith and Bank of America
share the common goal of creating opportunities in the communities we
serve," said Bank of America's Stein. "With the new building, the school
can enhance its mission to offer an unparalleled musical and educational
experience to disadvantaged children in this community. The school finally
will have the space it needs to create new programs, serve more children
and support the additional volunteers waiting to give of their time."
The new building, just a few blocks from the school's current location,
keeps the school in the Edgehill neighborhood, a community where founder,
Mr. William Oscar Smith, once lived. When complete the facility will
encompass 22,000 square feet of usable space. The number of lesson studios
will double, allowing for many more volunteers to teach and enough studio
space for students to practice and rehearse. The building also includes a
student- accessible music library, a recital hall and a large waiting area
to accommodate families and guests who currently must wait in automobiles
while students attend classes. In addition, this location will have better
access by public transportation and much improved parking for parents,
volunteers, and visitors.
The school's goal is to recycle and refurbish, utilizing most of the
existing building. The first phase of the remodel begins this month with
the entire project scheduled for completion by 2008.
Currently 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 nominal cost of .50 cents per lesson. An
all-volunteer faculty, many professional and studio musicians in the
Nashville area, provide the instruction.
W.O. Smith Music School also provides instruments at no additional
expense to all of the students who enroll for lessons. The new building
will have an instrument storage room to safeguard the valuable instruments
that have been donated for student use.
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. For more information about the
school, please visit www.wosmith.org
About Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy
Bank of America has embarked on an unprecedented 10-year goal to give
$1.5 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the quality
and vitality of their neighborhoods. The bank will give more than $200
million in 2007, making it one of the most generous corporate donors in the
world. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to
identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities.
Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contribute more
than 500,000 hours each year to improve the quality of life in their
communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America
Corporate Philanthropy, please visit
http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.
