​​MUSIC DRIVES US RENEWS ARTWEEK 2020 SPRING FESTIVAL PARTNERSHIP AND WILL AWARD 50 STATEWIDE GRANTS

Grants To Be Awarded To Free, Learning-Based Music Events At The 2020 ArtWeek Festival, May 1-10
 
Boston, Mass. (February 3, 2020) – Presented by the Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center, ArtWeek announced today it welcomes back Music Drives Us Foundation (MDU) as a partner for the upcoming spring festival which takes place from May 1-10, 2020. Music Drives Us will significantly increase the number of grants it provides for ArtWeek events during its 2020 festival. Fifty recipients will be selected to receive a $200 performance grant to support the presentation of their event during ArtWeek, up from 10 total recipients in 2018. Events submitted before the February 21 deadline that meet the following criteria will automatically be considered for a Music Drives Us award: the event must be accepted by ArtWeek as an official event; it must be free; and it must be a music and learning-based event. Since ArtWeek is celebrated statewide, events from across the Commonwealth will be eligible. Grant recipients will be selected by Music Drives Us and notified in late March 2020.
 
“ArtWeek’s success is directly linked to the depth and breadth of its partnerships at the statewide, regional, and local level.  We are so grateful to have a partner like Music Drives Us that is as passionate as we are in making arts and culture accessible to all,” said Joe Spaulding, President and CEO of the Boch Center. “By making these awards across the Commonwealth, Music Drives Us is making an important investment in the value of creative communities and we are grateful for their support.”
 
“Music Drives Us is excited to continue the growth of our partnership with ArtWeek by offering 50 grants to free and educational events throughout Massachusetts,” stated Ernie Boch Jr., Founder of Music Drives Us. “ArtWeek presents the perfect opportunity to support local artists and organizations in our communities at a grass roots level to promote affordable and equal access to the arts for everyone,” he added.
 
ArtWeek is an award-winning, innovative festival that features hundreds of unique and creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive, or offer behind-the-scenes access to arts, culture, and the creative process. ArtWeek is a way in which so many forms of creativity can be showcased in a truly affordable and accessible way for everyone who lives, works, plays and visits Massachusetts. In 2019, 90% of all the 600+ events were either free or under $25 for admittance. ArtWeek events span the Commonwealth’s six regions: Greater Boston, North of Boston, South of Boston, Cape & Islands, Central Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts. Last year over 130 cities, town and neighborhoods participated.
 
The final deadline to submit an ArtWeek event is Friday, February 21. Applications can be found at artweekma.org.
 
About ArtWeek
Presented by Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center, ArtWeek is an annual award-winning innovative festival featuring almost 600 unique and creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive or offer behind-the-scenes access to artists or the creative process. ArtWeek was born in Boston in 2013 and now serves over 134 towns across Massachusetts as the signature nonprofit community program of the Boch Center.
 
ArtWeek works to spotlight how the creative economy is thriving in Massachusetts by offering unique and affordable neighborhood-based events that provide increased access to art, culture, and creativity. Through community, artistic, and media collaborations, this festival provides experiences in dance, folk and traditional arts, fashion, media arts, spoken-word, poetry, writing, contemporary visual arts, music, opera, theater, design, film and much more.  To learn more about the festival and its growth, visit www.artweekma.org. 
 
Statewide champions include the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism and the Mass Cultural Council, who also serves as ArtWeek’s Creative Communities sponsor. Additional support comes from the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Cape Cod Foundation Fund for the Arts and the Carolyn Van Vleck Pratt Fund for the Arts. Lead Media partners include WCVB Channel 5, Entercom, WBUR, Boston Central, Boston Parents Paper, The Daily Hampshire Gazette/The Valley Advocate, and the Media News Group (Boston Herald, The Lowell Sun, Sentinel Enterprise, The Valley Dispatch, and Nashoba Valley Voice), as well as many others.  ArtWeek’s expansion has also been powered by an extensive network of more than 160 creative collaborators at the statewide, regional and community level.
 
About Highland Street Foundation
Since its establishment in 1989, Highland Street Foundation has donated more than $200 million to many worthy non-profit organizations. It is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of children and families primarily in Massachusetts and California specifically in the areas of education, housing, mentoring, health care, environment and the arts. To learn more about Highland Street Foundation, please visit www.highlandstreet.org.
 
About the Boch Center
The Boch Center is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic Wang and Shubert Theatres. As New England’s largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway musicals, family entertainment, and more. Located in Boston’s historic Theater District, the Boch Center also offers a diverse mix of educational and community outreach initiatives, including the City Spotlights Leadership Program 
and ArtWeek; collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater Boston’s arts and cultural community. Learn more at bochcenter.org. 
 
 
About Music Drives Us
Music Drives Us is a registered 501(c)(3), New England nonprofit organization supplying grants to music programs designed to effect positive change for people of all ages. We seek out organizations and individuals interested in using music as a tool to better the lives of people in all segments of society.
 
About the Mass Cultural Council
The Mass Cultural Council is a state agency that promotes excellence, inclusion, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences to foster a rich cultural life for all Massachusetts residents and contributes to the vitality of our communities and economy.  The Council pursues this mission through a wide range of grants, initiatives, and advocacy for artists, communities, organizations, and schools. Mass Cultural Council also runs the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment. For more information, please visit www.massculturalcouncil.org.
 
About the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT)
MOTT’s mission is to promote Massachusetts as both a leisure and business travel destination for domestic and international markets and to contribute to the growth of the Commonwealth’s economy. MOTT works closely with 16 regional tourism councils across the state, and with larger tourism alliances such as Discover New England and BrandUSA. For more information on visiting Massachusetts, go to massvacation.com.​

On Friday, December 13, 2019, Music Drives Us had the honor of hosting The BFG Three featuring Billy F Gibbons, Matt Sorum, and Mike Flanigin. We brought the “Sharp Dressed Man” to the Norwood Space Center in Norwood, MA!

The night started out with a VIP hour, which included hors d’oeuvres & beverages with live music by local artist Natalie Joly. The night was filled with rock n’ roll classics and ZZ Top hits. The BFG Three was our biggest event yet! For those who were not able to make it, visit our Facebook page for videos and pictures from the night.

​The night would have not been possible without the support of everyone who came out to the show and all of our amazing sponsors! All proceeds from the evening went towards our mission of keeping music in schools throughout New England.

​On Tuesday, November 5, 2019 the MDU team and Senator Diana Dizoglio visited the Boys and Girls Club of Haverhill in Haverhill, MA. This organization was a 2019 Grant Recipient and received $7,500 for various types of instrument. Kids of all ages showcased their individual talents while playing their instrument of choice. Thank you for having us Boys and Girls Club of Haverhill! Keep rockin’! 

Music Drives Us was honored to support Little Steven's TeachRock Workshop at The Chevalier Theatre on Saturday, November 2, 2019. The concert featured a free pre-show workshop supported by Music Drives Us at the venue, during which Little Steven and his TeachRock staff engaged educators of all types with techniques and content through which they can comfortably use music to inspire students. The workshop was amazing! It was eye opening to see the many outlets that TeachRock offered and the response from the teachers. If you are a teacher and want to check out what TeachRock is all about visit www.teachrock.org.

​On Saturday, October 26, 2019 Music Drives Us had the pleasure of being a part of the Norfolk County Beer Festival at the Norwood Space Center. A portion of ticket sales from this festival went to support our mission of keeping music in schools and communities throughout New England. The beer festival had two sessions, one was a family friendly afternoon session and the other was a 21+ evening session. Both sessions were great! They were filled with delicious local beer, fresh BBQ sandwiches, and live music. Thanks for having us Craft’d! 

​On Wednesday, October 23, the MDU team had the honor of visiting the Block Island School located on the beautiful island of Block Island. This school was a 2016 Grant Recipient and received $10,000 for hand bells and ukuleles. Kids of all ages seamlessly played major hits and the classics on the donated instruments. The island may be small but the love for music is huge. Keep rockin’ Block Island!

​​Date: Thursday, November 7, 2019 
Time: 6:00PM - 10:00PM
Location: Hard Rock Cafe
22 Clinton Street
Boston, MA 02109

Music Drives Us is excited to be the official charitable beneficiary of the 2019 Norfolk County Beer Festival! A portion of ticket sales from this festival will support our mission of keeping music in schools and communities throughout New England.

Join us on Saturday, October 26 for the 2019 Norfolk County Beer Festival at the Norwood Space Center. This beer festival is more intimate than your average fest and will only feature breweries located in Norfolk County. In addition to great local beer, this festival will celebrate local culture with live music, food pop-ups, artists & artisans, and local businesses.

Come enjoy a day filled with local beer, delicious food, and great live music.

Saturday, October 26
VIP Hour - 1:00 - 2:00PM (VIP ticket holders only) / $75
Session 1: 2:00 - 5:00PM (Family Friendly) *Anyone attending the afternoon session that is under 21 does not need a ticket, but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian with a ticket / $40
Session 2: 6:00 - 9:00PM (21+ Only) / $40
Designated Driver - $10

The MDU Team is working on a rockin' Art Project and we need your help! We are in search of guitars that are out of commission, whether they are broken; collecting dust in your room; or can’t be resold. We will be collecting all guitars now through Friday, November 1. If you have a guitar to donate, please fill out the contact form describing the guitar(s) you have for donation and we will reach out!