Pepsi Launches ‘Share The Joy With Music’

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Pepsi-Cola Company’s program to assist music education in schools, called “Share the Joy with Music,” hits stores nationwide this month.

From now through early January, communities can help schools in their area by collecting “Pepsi Notes” through the purchase of Pepsi products. Schools can then redeem their Pepsi Notes for musical instruments, accessories, sheet music, software, and other equipment that will help improve the quality of their music programs.

The notes are available on 24-packs, 12-packs, 2 liter bottles, 3-liter bottles, and 24-ounce multipacks of Pepsi, Pepsi One, Diet Pepsi, and Mountain Dew. Full program details are available on the Pepsi Notes Web site, www.pepsinotes.com.

“Many school music programs have traditionally been under-funded,” said Tom Bene, vice president of marketplace initiative development for Pepsi. “By collecting Pepsi Notes, consumers can help the schools in their area acquire items that will improve the music experience of the students in their community. They can make an impact where it matters most – at the local level.”

MENC, the National Association for Music Education, has joined with Pepsi to communicate this opportunity to MENC’s membership.

“We applaud Pepsi-Cola’s efforts to support music education in this creative manner,” said John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC.

Music 123.com (www.music123.com), a leading online dealer of musical instruments with a division dedicated to schools and music educators, serves as the exclusive vehicle for program redemption and fulfillment. Music 123.com powers the pepsinotes.com Web site, where educators and students can view all the instruments available and set their collection goals.

Schools later use the site to redeem their notes. Through the Pepsi Notes program, a full line of instruments will be available, ranging from tubas to triangles to tympanis. Schools will be able to select from all the top brands of instruments carried by Music 123.com.

“We’re extremely excited about this program because it provides an easy and fun opportunity for schools to enhance their budgets and get the instruments they have always needed but otherwise may not have been able to afford,” said Jonathan Axelrod, president of Music 123.com. “It’s great to see schools forming collection drives with supermarkets, retailers, and other local businesses, getting the whole community involved to support music in the schools.”