On June 1, the founders of Keep Music Alive will launch Volume 1 of their new book series, 88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life. 88+ Ways is filled with more than 150 inspirational stories, quotes and anecdotes from musicians, music educators and music lovers from all over the world; their stories are designed to make readers laugh, cry and remember the power of music.
Contributors include more than a dozen Grammy-winning and platinum-selling artists, composers and songwriters. Among them are Rob Parissi (songwriter and vocalist for "Play That Funky Music" for Wild Cherry), Bobby Kimball (original vocalist for Toto with "Hold the Line," "Africa," "Rosanna" and more) and Vanessa Carlton ("A Thousand Miles" and "White Houses").
Keep Music Alive was founded last summer to help raise awareness of how important music is educationally, therapeutically and for the overall happiness of society. According to cofounder Vincent James, the organization was created in response to three changes that have made music less valued. They include cuts in music and arts education in schools, fewer venues available for musicians to perform live and the recent changeover to the streaming business model. The latter has affected how musicians and songwriters are paid, and effectively lowered their income potential.
James says, "I really felt we needed to do something to help turn this ship around a bit, so society as a whole will remember how important music really is in all of our lives."
88+ Ways Music Can Change Your Life will be available on Amazon beginning June 1 and on BN.com shortly thereafter. 88+ Ways was authored by KMA cofounders Vincent James and Joann Pierdomenico.
For more information, visit KeepMusicAlive.org.
