Students in Ϲ are rocking out extra hard this month after the Gibson Foundation, MINDPOP, the City of Austin and other community partners announced they would donate 100 guitars to Ϲ schools to support the district's music, band and orchestra programs.
Throughout the month, aspiring musicians at 25 Austin schools have been surprised with presentations of Gibson guitars as part of the Any Given Child partnership with Ϲ and the City of Austin.
“As students develop the art of playing guitar, they also have the opportunity to tap into the instrument’s rich, cultural heritage to express themselves,” Greg Goodman, director of Ϲ's fine arts programs, said.
Guitar is among the fastest-growing musical instrument choices in Ϲ, as nearly 1,400 students in the Austin school district participate in guitar programs.
This isn't the first time that Ϲ's music programs have received guitars from community partners. In December, the three organizations teamed up to donate instruments to Ϲ schools to help kick off the arts enrichment program.
School receiving guitars this month include: Akins, Anderson, Austin, Crockett, Eastside Memorial, Lanier and LBJ high schools; Gardner Center; Bailey, Bedichek, Burnet, Covington, Dobie, Gorzycki, Kealing, Lamar, Mendez, Murchison, Pearce, Small and Webb middle schools; and Ridgetop Elementary School.
Gibson’s generous gift of electric guitars will strengthen the district’s fine arts programs, especially for jazz and blues performers.
