SchoolJam USA Challenges Teen Bands to "Rock Out" and Support Their School Music Programs

Starting today, teen bands across the country are invited to step onto the stage to compete in the first-ever SchoolJam USA. This one-of-a-kind, national teen battle-of-the-bands competition is accepting applications from middle and high school students, aiming to showcase their talent and bolster much-needed support for school music programs.

Like a real-life version of the recent movie “Bandslam,” the competition is sponsored by NAMM, the not-for-profit association of the international music products industry, and its promotional partners MENC: the National Association for Music Education, Music For All, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus and InTune Monthly magazine.

Teen musicians between the ages of 13 and 18, who currently are registered in a middle or high school in the United States and are in a band that has never been signed to a record label, are eligible to compete. Bands may perform any genre of music as long as the music is original. Entries can be submitted online from August 24, 2009, to October 15, 2009, at SchoolJam USA’s Web site, www.schooljamusa.com.

On November 1, 2009, 50 semi-finalist bands will be posted on the SchoolJam USA Web site, where visitors can vote for their favorite band until December 5, 2009. On January 16, 2010, the top 10 finalists will battle it out at the SchoolJam USA finals at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., for a chance to be the first SchoolJam USA champion. The top 10 band’s high schools each will receive funding to support their respective music programs. The coveted first-place spot comes complete with first-rate prizes, including an all-expense paid trip to perform at the SchoolJam Germany live finals in Frankfurt, Germany, in March 2010. Reinforcing the competition’s mission to encourage active music making among teenagers, all finalists will received a credit toward the purchase of musical merchandise from a local NAMM Member music product retailer of their choice.

“NAMM has a long history of supporting traditional school music education programs and that will never change,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “But, I was not a product of those programs because I really wanted to play rock‘n’roll. SchoolJam USA is for all of those kids, like me, who want to play the kind of music that moves them. Our hope is that this program will allow even more kids to enjoy the fun and many proven benefits of playing music.”

SchoolJam is an established music initiative, originally developed by MM MusikMedia Germany to promote popular and rock music in schools throughout Germany. The program has provided thousands of music-loving young adults with the opportunity to perform and network with their peers, increasing their love for playing music and encouraging them to become active musicians.

In the United States, NAMM has collaborated with MENC, Music For All and the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus to develop SchoolJam USA, following two successful years of SchoolJam Texas, produced by NAMM and the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) in 2007 and 2008, in conjunction with the original SchoolJam in Germany.