The Oak Ridge Boys Appear on Huckabee to Announce Guitar Auction to Benefit NAMM Foundation's Wanna Play Fund

The world-renowned Oak Ridge Boys, longtime supporters of music education and music making, appeared on FOX's Huckabee this weekend to announce the online auction of a signed guitar with proceeds going to the NAMM Foundation's Wanna Play Fund.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Jerry Penshorn of Bulverde, TX, who won the signed Oak Ridge Boys guitar auction today with a winning bid of $2,475.00. Proceeds of the auction will go to the NAMM Foundation's Wanna Play Fund. Thanks for your support of music education and music making!

The Wanna Play Fund seeks public donations to support programs and activities that strengthen music education in schools and provide opportunities for people of all ages to learn to play music.

As an avid supporter of the vital role music education has for all children and of the benefits playing music has for people of all ages, Gov. Huckabee serves as the national spokesperson for the NAMM Foundation's Wanna Play Fund.

Specifically, donations to the Wanna Play Fund will:

1. Support community-based programs that provide new and innovative ways for people to learn and play music. Donations support the NAMM Foundation's competitive program grants given to non-profit service organizations that offer high-quality, innovative music learning opportunities as well as to those programs that expand opportunities for people of all ages and skill levels to learn and play music.

2. Provide musical instruments to schools that are expanding or reinstating music education programs. Instruments will be provided to schools that demonstrate commitment to expanding opportunities for all children to learn music as part of the core curriculum and to schools that employ quality music teachers. The NAMM Foundation will also provide instruments to individuals whose circumstances inhibit their ability to meet their full musical potential. Instrument donations will also be considered for non-professional music makers in community-based music programs and people pursuing professional music careers.

The Wanna Play Fund stems from a national public awareness campaign called Wanna Play? created by NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, to educate people of all ages about the many social and wellness benefits of making music. More than 85 celebrities currently support the campaign, including Gov. Huckabee, Isaac Slade, Sara Bareilles, Robert Downey Jr., and John Legend. Wanna Play? celebrities include actors, authors, musicians, sports figures, executives, politicians and personalities who play a musical instrument.

For more information about the Wanna Play? campaign and how to get started playing an instrument, visit www.wannaplaymusic.com.

Gov. Huckabee, an avid guitarist and bass player since childhood, is a national advocate for the powerful role music plays in learning and his program regularly features celebrity musical guests. He can also be heard providing insightful commentary on more than 500 radio stations daily delivering "The Huckabee Report."

As Governor of Arkansas, Huckabee led state legislation that expanded access to music and arts education for children in the state. Arts education was Gov. Huckabee's signature initiative when he chaired the Education Commission on the States, a state-level policy development organization. In every aspect of his career, Gov. Huckabee emphasizes the vital role of music in education for all children and promotes the benefits of life-long music making. As a national spokesperson for the NAMM Foundation's Wanna Play Fund, Gov. Huckabee encourages donations and participation in Fund activities—including online auctions of celebrity-signed guitars featuring artists who have appeared on his program.

The Oak Ridge Boys have previously supported music education by being the national spokespersons for MENC's (National Association for Music Education) "The National Anthem Project" and appearing with a 100-person choir and a live drum circle on a float sponsored by NAMM at the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade.