MARCHING.COM: Marching.com joins the national SupportMusic coalition to strengthen music education in schools

NASHVILLE, TN, Feb. 23, 2010 — The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) announced today that Marching.com has joined the SupportMusic Coalition, a public service led by U.S.-based NAMM and MENC, the National Association for Music Education, that seeks to strengthen community commitment and support for quality music education in schools.

The coalition comprises more than 200 organizations, representing more than seven million concerned citizens, working to ensure that music and arts instruction are part of a complete education for all children. Since strengthening music education is a worldwide concern due to its many proven benefits for students, several international organizations also participate in the SupportMusic Coalition.

Marching.com has been providing information and making connections in the marching community ever since it began as a pioneering site in the early days of the Web. The site extends a positive voice across a broad array of content that includes events, links, resources, news and photos from coast to coast and around the world. Celebrating it 15th season in 2010, Marching.com has experienced tremendous traffic growth. In 2009 the site served more than 600,000 unique visitors.

"As we prepare to celebrate the 15th season of Marching.com, we recognize the role marching bands play in developing life skills and adding excitement to life," said Marching.com Founder Ken Martinson. "We see the research that shows music students tend to score higher on college entrance exams, and that strong music programs lead to higher graduation rates. This type of information re-energizes our commitment for Marching.com to be a positive voice and resource for the marching activity."

The coalition invites all interested arts, parent, education, civic engagement and youthserving organizations to become affiliates. Affiliate organizations actively participate by contacting local, regional and state school officials, distributing pertinent information to other supporters in their communities as well as networking with other coalition members. Finally, they are able to add tools and materials to www.supportmusic.com that advance the group's advocacy mission and messages.

For more information and links to national, state and local organizations working together to keep music education strong, interested parties should visit www.supportmusic.com. Organizations interested in participating in the SupportMusic Coalition, contact NAMM by email.

About NAMM: NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM's activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

Copyright 2010 Marching.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published or redistributed without permission.

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Marching.com joins the national SupportMusic coalition to strengthen music education in schools