GRAMMY Giving to the Gulf

The Recording Academy®

Texas Chapter

3601 S. Congress Ave. G-500, Austin, TX 78704

www.grammy.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE

THE RECORDING ACADEMY® TEXAS CHAPTER AND ITS MUSIC COMMUNITY UNITE TO

BRING MUSIC BACK TO GALVESTON'S CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL

GRAMMY® Giving Back To The Gulf Program To Replace Instruments Lost

During Hurricane Ike

Austin, Texas (November XX, 2008) — In light of the recent devastation

in Galveston, The Recording Academy® Texas Chapter will be holding

GRAMMY® Giving To The Gulf  sponsored by Gibson Guitars to replace music

equipment and instruments lost due to Hurricane Ike at Galveston’s

Central Middle School. The Texas Chapter will hold a statewide donation

drive for musical equipment, instruments and cash donations. The drive

will kick-off at the membership's Latin GRAMMY® Celebration in Houston

at House of Blues, with all proceeds from the event going to these

efforts. Donation drives will also be held in Dallas, San Antonio and

Austin to collect instruments and have them refurbished before

distributing to the school.

"When we heard that Galveston's Central Middle School lost all their

music equipment to Hurricane Ike, we knew that it would be our mission

to help," said Theresa Jenkins, Executive Director of the Texas Chapter.

"Putting instruments back into the students' hands is a big part of the

recovery and healing process for this community.

Three additional locations will be taking donations of instruments and

they can be dropped off at the following drive locations:

City:  San Antonio, Texas – Sam Ash Music, 25 NE Loop 410, Ste 110, 78216

Dates:             Thursday, November 20, 2008

Time:              Noon – 6 p.m.

City:              Dallas, Texas – Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 75206

Dates:             Monday, November 24, 2008

Time:              Noon – 6 p.m.

City:              Austin, Texas- The Recording Academy, 3601 S. Congress G 500, 78704

Dates:             Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Time:              10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

"The pursuit of music education both vocally and instrumentally requires the availability of instruments.  A child can not really learn to play the trumpet without a trumpet.  Hurricane IKE destroyed nearly a half a million dollars worth of the Galveston ISD inventory of musical instruments.  We lost baby grand pianos, band instruments and strings as well as our music libraries at Central Middle school.  We are deeply grateful to the Recording Academy and our fellow musicians in this time of great need.  All that you do to help our children will be remembered as they grow up and continue their involvement in music,” said Dr. Stephen F. Duncan, Director of Fine Arts, Galveston Independent School District.

About The Recording Academy

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of

musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is

dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for

music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the

preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most

credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for

groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy,

education and human services programs. In its 50th year, The Academy

continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence,

advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains

an indelible part of our culture. The Texas Chapter of The Recording

Academy, founded in 1994, serves as a catalyst for uniting the Texas

music community. Its programs benefit all those involved in the music

industry by promoting topics that reflect the diverse professions and

interests of its membership. The Chapter represents music professionals

from Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio as well as Oklahoma and

New Mexico. For more information about The Recording Academy or the

Chapter, please visit www.grammy.com <http://www.grammy.com/> .

# # #

Event Contact:

Karla Martinez

Texas Chapter

512.328.7997

Karla.Martinez@grammy.com

Media Contact:

Elaine Garza

Giant Noise

512.382.9017

Elaine@giantnoise.com

Lourdes Lopez

The Recording Academy

310.392.3777

LourdesL@grammy.com <mailto:LourdesL@grammy.com> 

 

Karla Martinez

Project Manager

The Recording Academy

Phone: 512.328.7997

karla.martinez@grammy.com