VH1 Save the Music Foundation
April 2016--Dressed in a dark suit and tie, then-sixth grade student Arturo Palomares certainly had the look of a budding sax player. If his notes were a work in progress, his smile was perfect every time. Music education sparked something in Arturo, much like students across the Chula Vista Elementary School District. John J. Montgomery Elementary is among 18 CVESD schools to receive a grant for musical instruments from the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, an outcome of the District’s partnership with the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. The partners' work to restore in-school music instruction caught the attention of Grammy award-winning band Switchfoot.
Switchfoot appeared at Montgomery with Foundation executives, part of a series of school visits in CVESD. Montgomery students, parents and staff members packed the auditorium for the special assembly. Before and after the performance, Switchfoot members interacted one-on-one with student musicians like Arturo, signed autographs, and posed for pictures.
“The students in Chula Vista, and students everywhere, deserve the opportunity to study music, and have it taught during the school day by a certified music teacher,” said Jaclyn Rudderow, of VH1 Save the Music Foundation. “The reason we are here is because of the commitment of the superintendent, the Board, and partners like the San Diego Youth Symphony, which has been working in the District from the beginning. We want to ensure every child across the District has the same opportunity to learn a musical instrument.”
VH1 Save the Music Foundation Schools
- Joseph Casillas
- Hazel Goes Cook
- Myrtle S. Finney
- Harborside
- Hilltop Drive
- Juarez-Lincoln
- Karl H. Kellogg
- Liberty
- John J. Montgomery
- Robert L. Mueller
- Otay
- Palomar
- Lilian J. Rice
- Greg Rogers
- Fred H. Rohr
- Rosebank
- Vista Square
- Wolf Canyon
Grammy-winning Switchfoot Fostering a Wave of Student Musicians
In 2017, the band Switchfoot appeared at Rogers Elementary for a touching, sometimes emotional appearance with Special Education students.
Switchfoot’s annual charity surf contest and beach concert, called the “BRO-AM,” has featured student musicians from the Chula Vista Elementary School District. The event in Encinitas, Calif., is among the highlights of the band's collaboration with CVESD schools. The Switchfoot BRO-AM Foundation has used a portion of the event proceeds to help fund new musical instrument grants in CVESD. The impact of the band’s support will be felt for years to come, District officials said.
“There has been a renaissance in the area of music education in our community, and Switchfoot’s involvement generates even more momentum for our Visual and Performing Arts,” said Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “We’re already seeing a difference. Parent engagement has gone up. Attendance has gone up. Our students have been motivated through the arts. Creativity, collaboration, teamwork, perseverance—those soft skills improve through music, and music builds upon those skills. It can be life changing.”
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