I’d like to start by thanking all of you who contributed to and helped spread the word about the Keeping The Blues Alive (KTBA) pledge drive. Our goal was to raise $10,000 and we exceeded that.

These funds were desperately needed and we’re already putting that money to work. Last Friday we donated a keyboard to Dubois Area High School in Pennsylvania (read the full story here) and next week, we’ll be announcing the winner of the Keeping The Blues Alive $3,000 Musician’s Institute Scholarship.

KTBA prides itself on how efficiently we’re able to get your donations out to the schools and students who need them most, meaning your dollar goes further. Whether you donate $1 or $1,000, KTBA leverages your combined donations and channels them into the areas where we can make the greatest impact.  KTBA has been operating for seven months and has already funded music education programs, resources and scholarships in 10 institutions, reaching over 1100 students.

In addition to the weekly donations we make to schools around the country and the scholarships we fund, we also produce Riffnotes “Edu-tainment” videos. These are hosted on SchoolTube.com and incorporated into the classroom. The first, featured Joe Bonamassa discussing the history of the Blues (watch it here) and with your support, we’re planning to release a series, where professional musicians demonstrate their instruments and explain theory to inspire and motivate young musicians.

We’ve accomplished a great deal already and have even more in the works, but we need your help to continue our mission to give students access to music education in and out of schools. To help us fight government cuts to music education and be part of the solution, make a donation today by clicking here.

With sincere thanks on behalf of Joe, J&R and myself for helping us Keep The Blues Alive