Ellen’s protege and You Tube favorite Greyson Chance, 14, has teamed up with the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and singer/songwriter Shaun Barrowes to co-host and perform at the third annual SchoolJam USA finals event.

The event will feature a teen battle of the bands competition on Jan. 21, 2012 in Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, and Chance expressed his feelings on supporting such a worthy cause. Take a look at all the entered bands here!

“I am honored to be a part of a program with NAMM that is encouraging students to grow their musical talents,” Chance said. “Music is such an important part of my life and I am very excited to help shine the spotlight on some new talent – it’s important to me to support programs like SchoolJam USA and foster ongoing music education.”

On Jan. 21, 2012, the top eight bands will perform for a panel of professional judges as well as fans for the honor of “Best Teen Band in the USA.”

The winning band will get to perform at the original SchoolJam festival in Frankfurt, Germany this spring, receive a music video recording session on the John Lennon Educational Bus and also receive cash prizes to purchase new music gear and support their school’s music programs. For more on this event, visit www.schooljamusa.com.

2011 Winners PELIGRO

Why should your school be involved in SchoolJam USA?

First, there’s the obvious—potential funds for your program—but here are some other reasons we think you should get involved:

  • SchoolJam USA puts important music education advocacy materials into the hands of your students and local community.
  • The program engages music students and non-music peers in an interactive music event, building a strong community.
  • SchoolJam USA helps to bridge the gap between traditional music education students and non-traditional student musicians helping to expand your music education program.
  • Every participating school will receive notification from us, which includes advocacy messaging sent to school leaders.
  • SchoolJam USA is a learning experience. Students who advance to the semi-finals will get hands-on experience with promotions and marketing, as well as learning important team-building skills.

If you would like your students involved with SchoolJam USA, e-mail us at schooljamusa@namm.org and they’ll get you everything you need.

PLUS: Do you need access to music education advocacy resources? Make sure to visit www.supportmusic.com for tools and information that can be vital to helping your community make the case for your music education program.