Yamaha Starts ‘Share the Gift’ Campaign to Help Schools Affected by Recent Hurricanes

Yamaha Corporation of America, in partnership with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF), has invited people across the U.S. and around the world to join the company’s “Share the Gift” campaign in an effort to help rebuild music education programs devastated by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Through this campaign, Yamaha will donate over 1,300 instruments and music products, such as keyboards, guitars, headphones and recorders, to schools in communities affected by the hurricanes in Texas and Florida.

To participate, Yamaha is asking anyone wishing to help to post a photo or video of themselves explaining how music education has changed their lives between November 1 and December 31.

For every photo or video posted with the hashtag #YamahaSharetheGift on Twitter or Instagram, or video submitted to YouTube via the Share the Gift website, the company will donate a brand-new instrument to Music Rising, the disaster relief fund of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

All photo and video posts will be compiled on the Share the Gift website here.

The Houston Independent School District in particular lost $1 million worth of instruments across 13 campuses. Many schools have been closed indefinitely, or relocated temporarily to serve their students. Additionally, many schools in southern Florida that have experienced sustained flood damage will benefit from the Share the Gift initiative.

“Like the rest of the world, we at Yamaha have been saddened to see the devastation left in the wake of both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma,” said Tom Sumner, senior vice president, Yamaha Corporation of America. “Through our longstanding partnership with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, we hope that our donation will help bring the benefits of music education – and the joy of music making – back into the lives of students as their communities continue to recover.”