NAMM Joins with What's Your Issue Foundation to Help Teens Express Themselves Through Music
NAMM and the What's Your Issue Foundation are asking teens around the world to express themselves through music by writing a song and submitting it in the What's Your Issue Song Competition.
Born from the Film Your Issue video competition now
entering its fifth year, the new song contest will be judged by
singer/actor/activist Jack Black. Tom Brokaw and Yoko Ono are among the udges who will review the songwriting entries. The competition is looking for
three-minute songs from young adults ages 14 to 24 on any issue that moves
them including the environment, education, healthcare, pathway from
poverty, national security and defense, public service, human and equal
rights issues.
The What’s Your Issue Song
Competition winning entry will also be presented in front of the
international music products industry at the 2011 NAMM Show and the
finalists will be included in a compilation CD of emerging artists
later this year.
Winning videos and songs will also be presented at a VIP reception in
Washington, DC, and at the annual awards ceremony co-hosted by Sony
Pictures at its Los Angeles studio and on the What’s Your Issue iTunes
Tile. Prizes also include a MacBook laptop and iPod Touches.
“Like NAMM, we believe in the power of music to touch hearts and change
minds – and we believe in music-making,” said HeathCliff Rothman,
president, What’s Your Issue Foundation. “Our initiative is at the
nexus of digital video media, user-generated-content, the internet,
social networking, public service and activism, specifically geared to
millennial young adults 14 to 24.”
NAMM will sponsor the competition through its Wanna Play? national
public awareness campaign dedicated to promoting the proven benefits of
playing music for people of all ages and skill levels.
The submission period is open now and runs through mid April 2010.
Online voting follows shortly thereafter, and winners will be announced
in May 2010. For more information, please visit www.whatsyourissue.tv.
“Adding a songwriting and musical element to the popular What’s Your Issue Competitions is a perfect fit,” said Scott Robertson, director of
marketing and communications, NAMM. “And we’re more than happy to add
‘potentially changing the world’ to the long list of proven benefits
that can be obtained through playing music.”
