KIDZ BOP And MusiCounts Surprise Toronto School With MusiCounts Band Aid Program Instrument Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

TORONTO, ON – Today, the KIDZ BOP Kids, Billboard Magazine’s #1 kids artist for eight consecutive years, joined MusiCounts for a celebration of the MusiCounts Band Aid Program at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Toronto. KIDZ BOP surprised school students with $10,000 worth of new instruments for the school’s music program, followed by a special performance and Q&A as part of the festivities. The MusiCounts Band Aid Program instrument grant was made possible by The Acapella Foundation, a Toronto-based organization that supports programs and charities in Toronto whose goals are to improve quality of life for children.

"With these new instruments granted to Immaculate Conception we know generations of students will experience the benefits of music. Thank you to The Acapella Foundation for its support of the MusiCounts Band Aid Program," said
Kristy Fletcher, Executive Director, MusiCounts. "And thank you to KIDZ BOP for creating a very memorable surprise for students with an inspiring performance." 

Before kicking off their KIDZ BOP LIVE 2018 tour on Friday, the KIDZ BOP Kids Freddy, Julianna, Isaiah and Liv, took to the stage to perform songs from their new album  "KIDZ BOP 2018" including "Havana", "Perfect", and a mashup of "Stay" and "Issues", then answered questions from the excited auditorium of students. Prior to the celebration, Immaculate Conception Catholic School only had seven instruments in good working order for 110 students in the Grade 7 and 8 instrumental music program.

"We’re proud to be a part of many kids’ first concert experience and are excited to be here supporting the work of MusiCounts and The Acapella Foundation, helping to inspire and enable young people to experience music education,” said Victor Zaraya, President of KIDZ BOP.

Host CBC Kids personality Tony Kim highlighted the importance of music education and MusiCounts' ongoing committment to making music accesible to Canadian youth. Since 1997, MusiCounts has supported over 900 school music programs by donating nearly $9 million in musical instruments and equipment. Schools can apply to receive instruments via the MusiCounts Band Aid Program each fall at www.musicounts.ca. 

**To download hi-res images from the event, click here (photo credit: Tania Heath).

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For more information on MusiCounts please contact:

Laura Steen
Strut Entertainment
[email protected]
416.300.9254

About KIDZ BOP
KIDZ BOP connects with kids and families through its best-selling albums, music videos, consumer products and live tours. In the US, KIDZ BOP is the #1 music brand for kids, featuring today's biggest hits "sung by kids for kids." KIDZ BOP has sold over 18 million albums and generated over 1 Billion streams, since the family-friendly music brand debuted in 2001. The best-selling series has had 24 Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 Chart; only three artists in history—The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Barbra Streisand—have had more Top 10 albums. For more information, visit kidzbop.com.

                                                                  www.kidzbop.com
                                                          www.facebook.com/KIDZBOP
                                                           www.twitter.com/KIDZBOP
                                                        www.instagram.com/KIDZBOP

About MusiCounts
MusiCounts, Canada's music education charity associated with CARAS and the JUNO Awards is keeping music alive in schools and communities across Canada by putting musical instruments into the hands of children that need them most. MusiCounts' mission is to ensure that youth in Canada have access to music programs through their schools and communities. MusiCounts celebrates musical excellence and achieves its mission through the MusiCounts Band Aid Program, the MusiCounts TD Community Music Program, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award, Scholarships and other music education initiatives. MusiCounts is funded by many of Canada's most dedicated corporate citizens including and especially The Acapella Foundation, TD Bank Group, Bell Media, SiriusXM Canada, the Slaight Family Foundation, Music Canada, Vista Radio, and The Hot Topic Foundation. MusiCounts has been supported since inception by Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., Universal Music Canada, Warner Music Canada Ltd., JUNO Songwriters' Circle and JUNO Cup. MusiCounts was established in 1997, and has awarded nearly $11,000,000 in support of music education in Canada. These funds have benefitted over 1,000 schools and communities, supported over 350 post-secondary music program graduates, and honoured 13 extraordinary music teachers and two MusiCounts ambassadors.

                                                               www.musicounts.ca
                                                        www.facebook.com/MusiCounts  
                                                          www.twitter.com/MusiCounts 
                                                        www.instagram.com/MusiCounts