Annual Philanthropic Program Kicks Off With Save The Music and Music Forward Partnerships, Focusing on STEAM Education

Grammy® Nominated Artist Noah Cyrus to Lead Virtual Classroom Discussions at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools

NEW YORK – March 8, 2021  –  Sony Music Group (SMG) today announced Beyond The Instrument, a new, annual program designed to stimulate creativity, advance educational resources and promote career development within the music industry. 

Save The Music and Music Forward are SMG’s first nonprofit partners for the program. In collaboration with Grammy® nominated artist Noah Cyrus, the initiative will kick off with a virtual classroom discussion with Metropolitan Nashville’s Public School students, led by Music Forward, where Cyrus will share her journey to becoming a hit singer-songwriter. It will also consist of a four-week series of music industry education workshops with students from Antioch High School in Nashville and will culminate in the delivery of musical instruments and technology equipment to the schools later this year. 

As the inaugural program ambassador, Cyrus said, “Music has always been such a huge part of my life and I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a family where I was constantly surrounded by music; I really experienced the benefits firsthand of learning and creating music at a very young age, providing me an emotional outlet and passion that I am still beyond thankful for everyday. This is why I am so honored and excited to be the inaugural program ambassador of Beyond The Instrument, and for the chance to give back to Nashville, a city that’s very near and dear to my heart.“

The educational workshops provided by Music Forward are a series of music industry readiness programs and will cover topics ranging from Music Business 101 to Music Marketing, Monetizing Creativity, and more.

Designed to ensure all children have equity and access to in-school music education, the Beyond The Instrument program will fund the Save The Music J Dilla Music Technology Grant, a comprehensive package of musical instruments, sound engineering equipment, and technology software. Upon delivery at the start of the 2021-22 school year, this new program will empower Antioch High School students through learning the fundamentals of electronic music creation, recording, and production.

Of the initiative, Towalame Austin, Executive Vice President, Philanthropy and Social Impact, Sony Music Group said, “Beyond The Instrument is collaborating with first-class community partners, artists and songwriters to enhance music education programs and develop opportunities for underserved communities. We’re thrilled to work with Noah Cyrus, Save The Music and Music Forward to continue SMG’s dedication and commitment to providing educational resources for the next generation of music professionals.”

“Sony Music Group has brought together a best-in-class set of partners to make this happen for Nashville students, and Noah Cyrus has been a champion of music in schools and a partner of Save The Music for several years,” said Save The Music’s Executive Director, Henry Donahue. “We can’t wait to work with Music Forward to bring this program to life.”  

“Music Forward is thrilled to join Sony Music Group and Save The Music Foundation as the educational partner to connect Nashville music students’ passions to professions in the music industry,” said Nurit Siegel Smith, Executive Director, Music Forward Foundation. “We’re excited to bring our programs to this partnership and provide participating youth with the information, tools, and insights that will guide them to chart their individual pathways to success.”

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