Blue Man Group to Join NAMM on Capitol Hill to Talk About the Proven Benefits of Music Education

NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, announced today that Matt Goldman, founder, Blue Man Group, the international entertainment phenomenon best known for their popular live theatrical and musical events, and Blue Man Group from the New York City cast will join the association in Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress about the importance of music education in schools.

NAMM’s annual Member advocacy “Fly-In” to Washington D.C. brings business leaders from local communities to the nation’s capital to meet with key members of Congress and over the years, has featured celebrity guests including David Cassidy, Regina Belle, Tony Orlando, Issac Hayes, Dionne Warwick, The Commodores, Justin Guarani and Sesame Street’s Elmo, who addressed a Congressional committee in 2002.

“At Blue Man Group and Blue School we have devoted ourselves to cultivating creative, joyful, and compassionate children who use courageous and innovative thinking to build a harmonious and sustainable world,” said Matt Goldman, Blue Man Group. “We believe that, without question, music and arts education is critical to fostering the creative thinking necessary for tomorrow’s leaders to build such a world.”

“Blue Man Group represents creativity in its purest form,” said Mary Luehrsen, director of public affairs and government relations, NAMM.  “And that’s why NAMM, VH1 Save the Music Foundation and a large coalition of partners are working to keep music education strong in our schools and improve opportunities for creative learning for every child.”

Association Members Encouraged to Participate in NAMM’s Virtual Advocacy Days Web Cast

Participants can log on to a live Web event May 12, 2009, to hear policy and political briefings hosted by NAMM consultants Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. The day-long event will feature prominent political leaders and experts covering an array of legislative topics and advocacy activities in support of music education. The live Web cast event starts at 8:45 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time at namm.org.  Participants can browse the agenda online and choose to view as much or as little of the briefing as they want. The event can also be viewed in part or in its entirety at a later date since all presentations will be archived on the site for future viewing.

NAMM’s advocacy events are organized each year to allow industry representatives to meet face to face with members of Congress and show their support for music education and discuss other small business concerns. A small number of NAMM Members will participate in the activities in Washington. All U.S. NAMM Members are urged to get involved in this advocacy effort and are encouraged to:

•    Log on to the live or archived Web cast briefing to view the topics and speakers that interest you. Briefings will be provided by high-profile political leaders, policymakers and public opinion experts such as former deputy chief of staff to President Clinton and small business policy expert Phil Lader; Congressman Jim Cooper (Tenn.-D); Al From, CEO and founder of the Democratic Leadership Council; Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report and others who will cover the current political climate in the national’s capitol and opportunities for education reform related to school music programs.

•    Participate in “Virtual Advocacy Day” on May 13, 2009. Members are encouraged to call or e-mail the NAMM Member Contact Center before May 13, to request a guide to help you contact the office of your local member of Congress, and for simple language that can easily be sent via e-mail or outlined in a brief telephone call.

The final agenda for the “Virtual Advocacy Days” Web cast on May 12 is now available at namm.org. To confirm your participation and sign up for information on how to visit or contact your members of Congress, please call or e-mail the NAMM Member Contact Center at 1-800-767-6266 or info@namm.org.

About NAMM
NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

About Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is a creative organization dedicated to creating exciting and innovative work in a wide variety of media. Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts, which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. www.blueman.com
 
About the Blue School
The Blue School educational model embraces an established strategy and an inventive approach that teaches the core curriculum of traditional academic subjects adding progressive education aligned with constructivist theory. The curriculum teaches students standard subjects through the fun and excitement of art and creative thought. www.theblueschool.org.