MusiCounts has announced that it will be honouring Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew with its Inspired Minds Ambassador Award — given to individuals who have had "an extraordinary impact on music education and the charity over the course of its history" — bestowing the prize upon the Canadian indie music mainstay at the 2023 JUNO Awards' opening night on March 11 in Edmonton.
Drew is being recognized for his "philanthropic contributions to music education in Canada, and his integral role in expanding MusiCounts' instrument grant programs from exclusively schools to include community groups across the country," according to press materials.
The award comes with $30,000 worth of MusiCounts Band Aid Program instrument grants, which will be passed to Canadian recipient schools in 2023.
"This award is for the community leaders who have been putting their time into helping so many kids be able to have music in their lives," said Drew. "I'm just receiving it to remind people that helping people is the greatest achievement one can have."
He continued, "Everyone should get on the train of helping others out. We have lost sight of this due to the amount of noise that surrounds our lives on a daily basis. The only noise that matters is someone being able to express themselves through music."
MusiCounts president Kristy Fletcher added:
Kevin Drew is the blueprint for artists looking to engage with charitable organizations. His vision, commitment, and hard work have helped MusiCounts grant almost $4M to community organizations across the country to help young people access music education. MusiCounts is honoured to name Kevin the MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award recipient on the tenth anniversary of the MusiCounts TD Community Music program. Congratulations, Kevin!
Last year's award was won by Alexisonfire and City and Colour's Dallas Green.
Drew is being recognized for his "philanthropic contributions to music education in Canada, and his integral role in expanding MusiCounts' instrument grant programs from exclusively schools to include community groups across the country," according to press materials.
The award comes with $30,000 worth of MusiCounts Band Aid Program instrument grants, which will be passed to Canadian recipient schools in 2023.
"This award is for the community leaders who have been putting their time into helping so many kids be able to have music in their lives," said Drew. "I'm just receiving it to remind people that helping people is the greatest achievement one can have."
He continued, "Everyone should get on the train of helping others out. We have lost sight of this due to the amount of noise that surrounds our lives on a daily basis. The only noise that matters is someone being able to express themselves through music."
MusiCounts president Kristy Fletcher added:
Kevin Drew is the blueprint for artists looking to engage with charitable organizations. His vision, commitment, and hard work have helped MusiCounts grant almost $4M to community organizations across the country to help young people access music education. MusiCounts is honoured to name Kevin the MusiCounts Inspired Minds Ambassador Award recipient on the tenth anniversary of the MusiCounts TD Community Music program. Congratulations, Kevin!
Last year's award was won by Alexisonfire and City and Colour's Dallas Green.
