On Saturday, April 27 Founder of Music Drives Us, Ernie Boch Jr., was honored and recognized by not one, but two local schools that have been impacted by Music Drives Us.

The first award was given by Norwood High School and honored Ernie as the Fine Arts Advocate of the Year. As a dedicated proponent of the arts, this award was an honor to receive. Many thanks to Norwood High School!

The second award was the Lyon Pride Award, which was presented at the 2019 Rising Star Gala hosted by the Mary Lyon School in Brighton, MA. The Lyon Pride Award recognizes an individual or corporation who has demonstrated a strong commitment and passion to helping Boston’s students succeed, excel, and feel welcomed, especially those with special needs. The Lyon Pride Award has been awarded to Mayor Marty Walsh, Maryann Crush, Rep. Kevin Honan, and Dr. Mary Nash, founder of the Mary Lyon School. Ernie Boch Jr. also granted the Mary Lyon School with a $10,000 donation the night of the Gala. Thank you to the Mary Lyon School for recognizing Music Drives Us!

Music Drives Us is excited to return as the official charitable partner of Boston Calling 2019 for the 3rd year! We have a limited amount of Platinum and VIP Tickets available! Platinum and VIP Tickets come with an endless amount of exclusive amenities to make your festival experience the best it can possibly be. All proceeds from ticket sales will support our mission to keep music in our schools!

Platinum and VIP Tickets Now Available! Purchase yours here: http://bit.ly/2IFro4y
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Boston Calling Music Festival is a three-day, multi-stage festival featuring the biggest and best acts in live music, comedy, and visual arts. It is held at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, MA on May 24, 25, & 26, 2019. The event will provide easy access to all performance areas, incredible concessions, indoor arena, and many surprises to be announced.

Music Drives Us will be there May 24 – 26, and we invite you to join us! If you have already purchased your tickets for Boston Calling, you can still support Music Drives Us by visiting us at our booth or taking a ride on the Ferris Wheel! We will have giveaways, merchandise, an interactive activation, and so much more to support our cause!

Music Drives Us was thrilled to support 40 amazing events and organizations taking place during ArtWeek! On Tuesday, April 9 at the Boch Center, Music Drives Us had the pleasure of meeting with the representatives from each event and personally awarding them with their Music Drives Us ArtWeek Grant. State Representative Paul McMurtry and Senator Diana DiZoglio also joined us for the presentation of these Grants. Congratulations to:

Andover Choral Society presents Florence Price, ARTS FIRST Festival at HARVARD Highlights, Boston College Arts Festival Children's Activities, Boston Minstrels at City Heart/Prudential Center, Cape Symphony Open Rehearsal,
Chestnut Street Revue Open Rehearsal, CIC ArtWeek: Global Arts, Eats, & Beats– Japan Edition, CIC ArtWeek: Humpday Hoedown, Classical Concert with Trio Spirito, Coffee Break Concert - Solo Piano Classics, Community Drum Circle for Healing, Explore American Music with Mark T. Small, Franklin High School Jazz Open Rehearsal, Irish Step Dancing at the MAC, Jazz Band Showcase (Lynn Public Schools), Join Us for Jam Night!, Jordan Reniz Vocal Performance and Workshop, Lessons on the Music and Dance of Pakistan, Making the Klezmer Music in INDECENT, Melt the Mic (Cypher and Lyrics Lounge), Musica Franklin Fun Fest, Nigra Sum Sed Formosa: I Am Black But Beautiful, Now You Can Take Off Your Clothes: An American Conductor Lost in Translation, Old Time Fiddle Session and Community Gathering, Open Cantata Rehearsal: BWV 28, Open Jazz Rehearsal & Q/A with Craig Skeffington, Open Rehearsal with Eureka Ensemble: Experience Your Eureka Moment!, Orff Percussion Jam, Palmer Artisan Festival, Process Art Party: Found Object Instruments!, Rockin' The Secrets of Plymouth Rock, Rubber Biscuit (band for all ages), Songs and Stories about the Natural World, SSC Youth Orchestra Concert, The Cows Go Moo! Story hour with Jim Petipas, The First Annual Great Northeast Jug Band Festival, Viva Portugal!, Vivid Colors: Organ Voices & Elements Theatre Costumes, and When the Land Speaks. 

Check out our story in the Fall River Herald News from this past Thursday March 13, 2019! B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River was the recipient of a $10,000 grant from MDU. Keep rockin' Durfee! 

If you haven't seen it yet, check out our story in the Boston Herald from this past Sunday February 24, 2019! Congratulations again to our Sib Hashian Drive for Drums grant recipient Cameron Igo! 

Music Drives Us would like to congratulate Cameron Igo on being the first recipient of the annual Sib Hashian Drive for Drums. Cameron is from Marshfield, MA and has been playing drums for 8 years. He is currently taking drum lessons at the South Shore Conservatory in Duxbury, MA. Through the Conservatory, Cameron joined an alternative rocked band called “Not Today” where he is the lead drummer. “Not Today” has played at several locations such as The Middle East in Cambridge, MA; The New World Tavern in Plymouth, MA; and this upcoming July they will be playing at the Levitate Music Festival in Marshfield, MA.

This grant was established in honor of the legendary rock ’n’ roll drummer Sib Hashian. Each year, one full drum kit is awarded to a devoted, passionate, and aspiring young drummer in the New England area. This inaugural grant would not have been possible without our friends at Guitar Center, Pearl Drums, and Zildjian Company. Thank you for supporting our mission of keeping music in our schools.

Music Drives Us was thrilled to be the official nonprofit beneficiary of The Mighty Mighty BossToneS HomeTown ThrowDown 21 for 2018! The Hometown ThrowDown is an annual three day concert that takes place at the House of Blues Boston on December 28th, 29th, and 30th. A portion of proceeds from the show benefited Music Drives Us so a big thank you to everyone who donated!

The weekend was a huge success! With Norwood local and front man Dicky Barrett leading the show and the talented Mighty Mighty Bosstones band rockin’ it out, the three night concert was a blast! On Saturday night in the Foundation room, MDU was able to sell our Signature and Classic Guitar Pick Bracelets while informing people of our mission to keep music in our schools.

A big thank you to the Mighty Mighty BossToneS for having us and making this all happen! We truly appreciate your support! 

On December 14th, Music Drives Us had the honor of hosting A Rare Acoustic Experience with Stone Temple Pilots. The legendary rock band performed a sold out charity concert to benefit Music Drives Us right here in Norwood, MA!

​The Rare Acoustic Experience took place at Norwood Space Center. The night started out with a VIP hour and meet and greet for fans. As the fans enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and beverages, groups were able to get a picture with the band. Once the doors opened, fans packed in to the Norwood Space Center! It was an incredible night filled with crowd favorites performed acoustically and some new songs from the band. For those who were not able to make it: check out our Facebook page for the live videos throughout the night.

We would like to thank everyone who came out for this amazing event! All of the proceeds from these great events and fundraisers benefit Music Drives Us and our mission of keeping music in our local schools and communities!

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our segment on The Take with Sue O’Connell! A big thank you goes to two of our GuitARTISTS, Dale Stephanos and Thomas Dunlay, for coming on air to talk about their GuitARTS and what inspired their designs.
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It’s not too late to register to attend the live auction on Thursday, November 15th at Ferrari of New England! 

​We are excited to announce that our GuitARTS are officially open for bidding! Simply set up an account at BiddingForGood.Com and place your bid online today through November 15! You can click the "GuitARTS Auction" button on our Home page to access the GuitARTS online auction.

 A limited number of GuitARTS will be available for the live auction on November 15th. The live auction will take place at Ferarri of New England at 7:00PM. All guests will be able to enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. We hope you can make it!

All proceeds from the GuitARTS auctions are supporting our mission of keeping music in our schools and communities throughout New England through our various grants. A portion will also be donated to the Norwood Public Schools Fine Arts Department!