Fender donates 300 acoustic guitars to Aussie schools

Guitar maker Fender Music Australia donated 300 new acoustic guitars to the Don't Stop the Music campaign.

They will be distributed to disadvantaged primary schools around the country.

The campaign, led by Musica Viva, the Salvation Army and the ABC, aims to promote the transformative effects of music in the classroom.

The initiative has been documented in the three-part ABC TV series featuring Guy Sebastian.

Fender's donation at the Musica Viva national office in Sydney was a substantial contribution to Don't Stop the Music and part of its commitment to the Australian music community and providing music education to these children.

"When I saw Don't Stop The Music on TV, I instantly knew it was something Fender needed to be a part of," said Fender Music Australia's general manager, I

“The best way to help out was to get a bunch of instruments in the kids' hands and encourage them to make music and enjoy themselves," he said.

Said Musica Viva's director of education, Colette Vella, “Thousands of students across Australia are missing out on music education, and all the benefits associated with learning music.

“With the help of generous donations such as this from Fender, Don’t Stop the Music and Musica Viva aim to make a real difference to children’s lives.”

Don't Stop the Music has now gathered over 4,000 instruments for Australian schools.