WITH HELP OF OCEANIC TIME WARNER CABLE AND UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX, THE VH1 SAVE THE MUSIC FOUNDATION GEARS UP FOR ITS 10th ANNIVERSARY WITH DONATION OF $100,000 TO THE HAWAII PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Donation Part of The Foundation’s 10th Anniversary Goal to Ensure 1 Million Public School Students Receive The Benefits of Music Education

New York , NY, March 30, 2007 – The VH1 Save The Music Foundation and Oceanic Time Warner Cable, with the help of University of Phoenix, continue to gear up for its 10th Anniversary by providing $100,000 worth of new musical instruments to restore four public school music education programs in the Hawaii Public School District. The donation is part of The Foundation’s efforts to restore 4 million dollars worth of instrumental music programs nationwide throughout the year. In addition, it will bring VH1 Save The Music closer to achieving its 10th Anniversary goal of reaching 1 million students and advance its ongoing mission of ensuring that all children have access to the benefits of music education.  

Among the local schools to receive grants for the 2006/2007 school year are Lanakila Elementary School, Ka Waihona 'o ka Na'auao Elementary School, Pearl Harbor Elementary School and Kuhio Elementary School.  Each school will receive $25,000 worth of musical instruments.  A music demonstration will also be held at Pearl Harbor Elementary School on April 5 to allow school officials and community members to see first-hand the positive impact music has on their students.

Throughout the year, The Foundation will continue to work with Oceanic to guarantee that all students in the Hawaii School District receive music education as part of their core curriculum.  Since 2000, Oceanic Time Warner and VH1 Save The Music have provided $250,000 worth of new musical instruments to restore music programs in six schools.

“We at VH1 Save The Music couldn’t be happier to celebrate our 10th anniversary by donating $100,000 worth of new musical instruments to the students and teachers of Hawaii Public Schools,” said Paul Cothran, Executive Director, VH1 Save The Music.  “The support of Oceanic as well as of University of Phoenix has allowed VH1 Save The Music to bring music education to increasing numbers of public school students.”

“Through programs such as VH1 Save The Music and our Cable in the Classroom, Oceanic is committed to education in Hawaii, said Vice President of Marketing Alan Pollock.  “We look forward to working with VH1 Save The Music for another 10 years to restore music programs throughout our public schools.”

“At University of Phoenix, we are guided by our mission to provide access and opportunity to education, and we are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful program,” said Cheryl Anderson, Vice President for Strategic Development in Education.  “We know the value and importance of music education for today’s youth; research shows that music instruction has a tremendous positive impact on student success and development.”

Since the VH1 Save The Music Foundation was created in 1997, $34 million worth of new musical instruments have been donated to 1,400 public schools in 80 cities, improving the lives of more than 800,000 children.  Platinum sponsors of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation include Anheuser Busch and the University of Phoenix, Gold Sponsors include Warner Bros, and Silver Sponsors include Dave and Buster’s, Gibson, and Quiznos.  In Hawaii contributions to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation from University of Phoenix helped to make today’s donation possible.

Now in its tenth year, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America’s public schools by restoring music education programs in cities across the U.S. and raising awareness of the importance of music participation for our nation’s youth. 

Oceanic currently delivers a diverse selection of entertainment and information services by way of an advanced fiber optic/coax network to more than 400,000 households, schools and businesses on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island. Among its products are Road Runner high-speed Internet as well as Digital Phone services.  The company has provided quality cable service for Hawaii residents since 1969. Oceanic Time Warner Cable is the thirteenth largest system in the U.S. and its parent company, Time Warner Entertainment, LLP, is a major developer of entertainment and information content.  For more information, call (808) 625-8510 or visit http://businessclass.oceanic.com.

University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help students balance education and life in a rapidly changing world. Through flexible schedules, challenging courses and interactive learning, students achieve personal and career aspirations without putting their lives on hold.  As of May 31, 2006, more than 323,000 students were enrolled at Apollo Group institutions, which includes University of Phoenix, the largest private university in North America.  University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associates, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs from more than 190 campuses and learning centers in the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. 

The national partner organizations of VH1 Save The Music include the American Association of School Administrators, the American Music Conference, America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth, ASCAP Foundation,
 Chief State School Officers Association, MENC-The National Association for Music Education, NAMM-International Music Products Association, National School Boards Association and the  U.S. Department of Education. 
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in nearly 88 million households in the U.S.  VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul.  Connect with VH1 at www.VH1.com.

VH1 is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom International Inc.   MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide.

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Contact:
Caroline Witherspoon/Becker Communications 
808-533-4165

Maura Wozniak/VH1 
212-846-7325