Little Big Town Sings Out for Music Education

Little Big Town presents $1,000 to Chicago’s Little Kids Rock youth music program on behalf of Drive 4 the Music (l-r) Jimi Westbrook and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town; Mercedes Roncone (in hat), Jon Voegele, Regional Vice President, Agency, COUNTRY Financial; Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town; Mina Marroquin-Crow; Phillip Sweet of Little Big Town; Oscar Klonsky Gradel; and Jennifer Klonsky, Little Rock Kids Ambassador for Chicago. Courtesy of LittleBigTown.com

By Bob Doerschuk
© 2011 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
Those who dedicate themselves to a good cause often feel a yearning to do even more. That was the situation faced by Little Big Town partly as a result of their support for CMA’s Keep the Music Playing initiative, which benefits music education in public schools.
“We’re big fans of what CMA is doing with Keep the Music Playing,” said group member Karen Fairchild. “We loved watching how it so powerfully affected education in Nashville. So we thought, ‘How can we do this on the road with local communities where we’re going to do shows?’”
The answer was in their backyards — or, actually, at the venues on their itinerary. COUNTRY Financial was already a tour sponsor, and when they began talking about sowing some positive seeds on the road, they quickly hatched a campaign called “Drive for the Music.”
Through the end of this year at selected Little Big Town headline concerts, COUNTRY Financial will set up an area where fans can play games, win prizes and get access to photo opportunities. At the same time, those who aren’t in the area can log onto Facebook.com/tripsandpicks to win tickets, backstage parties, MP3 downloads, view behind-the-scenes Webisodes and photos posted and updated by the band, and take part in discussions with other fans. Facebook fans who “like” the Trips and Picks page can also help kids enhance their music education as part of the “Drive 4 the Music” effort at select tour stops. COUNTRY Financial will make a donation to a youth music program for every fan “like” an organization receives in the “Drive 4 the Music” section on the Facebook page.
“Being associated with Country Music helps us get in touch with an audience that values what COUNTRY Financial offers and likes to do business with us,” said Keith Brannan, VP, Strategic Marketing and Financial Security Planning, COUNTRY Financial. “And Drive 4 the Music is just one more way we’re involving that audience in making our communities better.
The campaign began in Nashville, where COUNTRY Financial was able to fund 2,000 music lessons for students at the W.O. Smith Music School following the group’s concert at Bridgestone Arena. Similar contributions have been donated in Chicago and Minneapolis, with upcoming dates including Seattle, Rockford, Ill., Huntsville, Ala., Birmingham, Kansas City, Madison, Wis. and Atlanta.
“COUNTRY Financial does the advance work to get us together with the right organization in each market, so we know that the money will be spent wisely,” Fairchild said. “Their goal is to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a young Country Music fan to come backstage and have a personal, intimate time with the artist. They’re giving them that and in return we hopefully get a lifetime fan out of it.”
“Country Music is extremely popular with many of the people in communities we serve,” Brannan added. “We’re also family-oriented as a business, so we fit very well with Little Big Town. The way they tour with their families and children sends a message.”

On the Web: www.Facebook.com/tripsandpicks; www.LittleBigTown.com