Rob Thomas and his band, Matchbox Twenty, have donated $200,000 to raise money for, among other things, restoring music education programs in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, it was announced Tuesday.
The money will aid efforts by the Consortium for Worker Education, a federally designated resettlement agency, to rebuild post-Sept. 11 New York City and boost a new program reviving music education in Gulf Coast high schools that closed or were disrupted by the hurricane. The program aims to replace instruments, develop a music curriculum, hire music teachers and make private lessons available for students.
Thomas will also raise money for the program throughout his upcoming summer tour in support of his debut solo album, 2005’s “...Something to Be.”
Thomas said in a statement that hiring music instructors is the most important step to help “groom generations of musicians who are so vital to rebuilding New Orleans, its infrastructure and its culture.”