Dr. Roy Ernst is the founder of the New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA), which supports a number of organizations nationwide. These organizations provide music education for retired adults in group settings. “People make strong connections to life through music… most importantly, group music makes connections to other people. They are part of a team working towards goals,” says Ernst. He points out that the people who participate make new friends who share a common interest, and that socialization is an important aspect of good physical and mental health.

Stress plays a big part on both physical and mental health. When it comes to making music, the intention is to engage in a recreational activity that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed, thus reducing the stress factor. In addition, learning notes and rhythm requires an individual’s full attention., which improves concentration and cognitive skills. Dr Ernst states “Think of reading notes at perhaps four notes per second, with each note having many qualities such as pitch, duration, articulation, dynamics and context. Then, that all needs to be processed into motor skills. After all that, it still needs to become an artistic expression.” That being said, it is stated on numerous pages of NHIMA’s website that absolutely everyone has the ability to learn music, and that everyone has musical talent in them.

At anytime today, you can contribute to The Fender Music Foundation by eating at Chili’s Newbury Park, located at 1700 Newbury Road. As part of Chili’s “Give Back Night,” Chili’s will donate 15% of each supporter’s bill to raise money for music education. All you have to do is click on, print out and bring in the attached flyer. With no additional charge to your bill, you can help bring the gift of music to the less fortunate!

The Fender Music Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that helps raise money for music education across the country

We have recently partnered with Reverb Nation and Stage It to create a unique online concert experience, and all for a good cause.

Imagine seeing all your favorite artists from the comfort of your home at a fraction of the ticket price.

Stay tuned for more to come from the Fender Music Foundation team on this event.  All we have to say is there are big things to come!

Arriving at their rehearsal location in Burbank, CA, RoseMary was thrilled to visit the studio where the band conjures up their heavy metal magic. RoseMary remembers, “It was so exciting just to be at the studio, let alone being able to take one of John’s drums home with me.” There she thanked the SOAD camp for their contribution and being an eager fan herself, chatted in excitement about seeing her first SOAD show in years. Upon departing the studio, drum tech Sako grabbed some used drumsticks right off the drum set to further increase the item’s value.

The drum itself was personally selected for the cause and is in great condition. “It’s a beautiful tom drum, with its drumhead worn from some heavy hitting drumming. The pearl white Tama drum set that it was once apart of is so massive it was intimidating.” John made sure to sign the interior of the drum in black sharpie so that his large signature would be better preserved and the drum playable for one lucky musician. He also signed “SOAD 2011” under his signature to commemorate its significance in being a token of a new beginning for the band, as it was apart of the rehearsal drum set for their first tour since 2006.

Being a used item by the musician itself, the item is one of the more unique additions to The FMF store, and with a little reluctance, RoseMary passed the drum along knowing it will one day find a happy home to someone with a big heart who helped The FMF provide resources for needy music programs.

Click here to view the item in our FMF store: https://www.fendermusicfoundation.org/store/index.cfm?view=item&prodId=477&cat=8

On October 25, Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, guitarist of Rage Against the Machine, formerly Audioslave, and the Street Sweeper Social Club, played at West Hollywood’s legendary Troubadour venue to a sold out crowd. Performing as The Nightwatchman, Tom Morello captivated the audience for over two hours with acoustic folk and protest music. Keeping true to his activism, he had just returned from protesting and performing at the Occupy LA protests earlier in the day (Rolling Stone article.)

Before the night was over Morello did not fail to wow the audience with some face melting guitar shredding during “The Ghost of Tom Joad” that left the crowd in awe. The show ended with Morello inviting the audience to come on stage with him as he sang Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” a folk standard and a staple of The Nightwatchmen’s set.

After the show, Morello continued to support charity by signing two guitars for The Fender Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards instruments to music education programs across the country. Along with his signature, Morello added the slogan “Let Freedom Ring” to a Fender Kingmen Acoustic and “Take it easy, but make it” to a special edition black and chrome Squire Strat, which are now embedded with the heart and soul of what makes him such a great musician, passion!

Tom Morello added his name to a large list of artists who have contributed to The

Fender Music Foundation’s inventory of signed musical memorabilia. Other artists who have contributed to The Fender Music Foundation include Megadeath’s Dave Mustaine, guitarist Zakk Wylde, Guns n’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Pantera legend Dimebag Darrell, and metal gods Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio! These items and more can be found at https://www.fendermusicfoundation.org/store/. For more information about The Fender Music Foundation, visit us at www.fendermusicfoundation.org.

In addition to being a pioneer in guitar instruction, Raw Talent Guitar has made a commitment to support music education through the
Fender Music Foundation.

According to Raw Talent Guitar, “We donate to music education because we are a music education company first and foremost.  The idea is that we make practicing fun, not that we made a game that will teach you.  That being said, we donate to music education to keep the theme that we care about people learning guitar.  When you purchase Raw Talent Guitar, you’re buying a tool to help you on your musical journey, no different than buying a book or DVD set, or a capo, or new strings.  You never stop buying items for your instruments once you commit, and so we want to give back to prove that we never stop pushing music education.”

If you are interested in learning more about supporting the
Fender Music Foundation, click here to contact us.

On top of this, Guitars in the Classroom has started songwriting sessions in the classroom. One classroom wrote a song entitled: “The Honey Dew Blues” in a collaborative effort that incorporated all of the students.

The exercise of writing music not only positively stimulates the brain by strengthening memory and creativity, but it also provides kids with the tools they will need if they one day aspire to be songwriters. Did I also mention that it is just plain fun? With educators often finding it difficult to retain their students’ attention for more than a few minutes at a time, Guitars in the Classroom is doing a fantastic job of giving teachers alternate, fun, and most importantly, effective methods of reaching their students.

This October, a teenage Southern California native added his name to a growing list of young philanthropists by throwing a birthday party in honor of The Fender Music Foundation. Jacob, a music connoisseur since infancy, decided the best thing he could do was contribute to the spread and survival of music education. In lieu of receiving gifts for his birthday, Jacob asked that his guests make a donation to The Fender Music Foundation. When asked about his altruistic decision Jacob stated: “ I realize how blessed I am to have a family who supports my interests and talent emotionally and financially. I felt like it would be horrible if I couldn’t have music in my life.” As recently elected Philanthropy Commissioner at his middle-school, Jacob believes it is his duty to provide service to those in need. When asked further about his role as Philanthropy Commissioner, Jacob responded by saying: “I really feel like this year I am responsible to be a leader and show kids my age and younger it is important and rewarding to think of others less fortunate than us and make a difference.”

Jacob’s birthday party was thrown at Newport Harbor and hosted over ninety of hisfellow friends and classmates who all got into the spirit of giving. With the help of his classmates, Jacob was able to raise over $1500, which will contribute to The Fender Music Foundation’s mission to make music education universally accessible. Jacob now finds himself on a bourgeoning list of child philanthropists who are finding unique ways to make a difference. The Fender Music Foundation applauds the efforts of Jacob and looks forward to seeing where music will take him.