Stars back the Don't Stop The Music Amnesty
Don’t Stop The Music has 'struck a chord' with top-name musicians, including Jessie J, Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, Neneh Cherry, Newton Faulkner and KT Tunstall, who have all lent their support to the instrument amnesty.
In a YouTube video (see below), English singer-songwriter Jessie J calls on the public to donate their musical instruments to children who need them. “Musical instruments are the perfect thing to bring kids together, to help make them confident and make something together that they can enjoy," she said.
Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson added his support, saying:
"An un-played instrument is a sad thing. I think lots of musicians are guilty of hoarding these things."
They're not the only ones backing the amnesty. In fact our supporters' list is a veritable 'who's who' of the music world: Tinie Tempah, Maverick Sabre, Basement Jaxx, Andy from Lawson, Clean Bandit, Jazzie B from Soul II Soul, Billy Ocean, John Newman, Ella Henderson, Candi Staton, Luke Pritchard from The Kooks, any many more besides.
Many of the UK’s top homegrown musical talents have said they owe their success to learning music from an early age – including band Editors. "We wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t have had access to music growing up," they told us. "So it’s really important you don’t cut that off at source."
While Sophie Ellis Bextor highlighted just some of the many benefits of learning music for children: "It’s good for all aspects of their brain development, their creativity, their confidence and just being allowed to be a real free spirit with it, so I really passionately believe that every child has a right to that and it makes me very sad to think that’s not something that’s being championed all over because to me it’s a really fundamental right actually."
Do you agree? Follow the lead of stars such as Labrinth, and pledge your instrument to the instrument amnesty. You never know, you could inspire the next superstar!
