PHILADELPHIA, PA –– On Thursday morning at 10 o’clock, Franklin Learning Center will be among the first of several Philadelphia public schools to receive brand-new musical instruments, just one component of a unique and comprehensive music program being donated to need-based inner city public schools as they face challenges to expand music programs amidst diminishing budgets. The music program donation comes from Music Will, a national nonprofit organization serving more than 215,000 children with music education, and made possible by funds raised by BeachGlow: Concerts for Charity, a national nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness and funds for youth-related causes through music festivals. Representatives from both organizations will hand-deliver the instruments to the high school classroom, where BeachGlow’s 20-year-old founder and CEO Dane Kunkel will speak to the students about how he pursued his mission to educate a new generation of charitable giving by forming his company as a high school student, himself.
Kunkel and members of the BeachGlow team will join Music Will in augmenting the Modern Band music program at Franklin Learning Center by delivering an electronic drum kit, two Epiphone Les Paul electric guitars, three acoustic guitars, 10 music stands, two wireless microphones and four microphone stands to add to the 15 keyboards, one bass guitar and amp and other accompanying resources previously donated by Music Will.
Each year BeachGlow, the all-volunteer and only nonprofit dance music concert producer in the nation, selects a worthy charity to be the beneficiary at its annual beach music festival, which raises tens of thousands of dollars. Past beneficiaries include Harmony Ministries in Haiti, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the American Red Cross. The beneficiary of 2015 and 2016 is Music Will.
BeachGlow’s 2015 summer music festival in Atlantic City was cut short due to dangerous weather, but Kunkel remains dedicated to helping Music Will, which uses the funds raised to donate instruments, popular music curriculum, and training to public school teachers in the area. Last year’s festival resulted in new music programs for two Atlantic City public schools and eight Philadelphia public schools.
“I am so excited to extend and expand our positive impact on kids’ lives through music,” says Kunkel. “Our mission at BeachGlow is to use the power of music to raise awareness among young people about important social issues and causes and to raise funds for charities that directly affect youth. Music Will’s mission is to make sure all kids have this powerful medium – music — available to them in school.”
Kunkel, his family, and staff – whom are all volunteer – will feature Music Will in its year-long promotions, and at the beach-based summer music festival. Through this partnership, BeachGlow will help Music Will unlock kids’ inner music-makers and inspire them to live rich, purposeful lives.
“We are so grateful to be the charity beneficiary of BeachGlow: Concerts for Charity once again,” says Music Will founder and CEO, David Wish. “It will be a very special moment when Dane gets to literally deliver the gift of music to Philadelphia public school students that could really use the support!”
WHERE: Franklin Learning Center, 616 N. 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19130
WHEN: Thursday, January 14, 10:00 – 10:30am
About BeachGlow: Concerts for Charity, Inc.
BeachGlow: Concerts for Charity, Inc. is a national nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that gives 100 percent of its proceeds to charity. The company was founded in 2011 by Dane Kunkel, who was 16 at the time. BeachGlow was incorporated in 2012, trademarked in 2013, and received 501(c)(3) status in 2014. Today, Kunkel heads up a board of directors, a growing staff, and many festival volunteers who make it possible to raise money and awareness for worthy causes. For more information, please visit https://www.beachglow.org.
About Music Will
Music Will is a national nonprofit that is dedicated to unlocking children’s inner music makers by revitalizing music education in public schools. The organization partners with school districts to train public school teachers to run its innovative Modern Band curriculum and donates all of the accompanying instruments and resources necessary to teach popular music in a way that empowers students to experience instant achievement. Music Will started as a schoolteacher’s vision to give his students access to music education while diminishing budgets for the arts made that more and more difficult to do. What began as a single after-school guitar class has since exploded into a national movement that is bringing free, weekly music lessons to more than 200,000 public school children due to the efforts of more than 1,500 teachers in 29 cities nationwide. To date, Music Will has served over 400,000 students.
