WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, November 1, 2012 — The James Burton Foundation, founded by its namesake Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-member guitarist, best known for his work with Elvis Presley, supports music education for those in need through guitar donations and music instruction to schools, hospitals and community service organizations. The Foundation is currently expanding its outreach programs, including taking the organization’s recording education agenda to the next level. That initiative was moved substantially forward recently with a package of studio technology sourced through Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, including a new SSL AWS948 recording console, an Aviom studio cue system, new Mojave studio microphones and an array of outboard equipment. This acquisition, custom-tailored by GC Pro’s Nashville-based Senior Account Manager Chad Evans to exactly match the Foundation’s needs and budget, will help the Foundation continue to provide free-of-charge music and technical education opportunities to students and the community in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Foundation has given thousands of guitars to schools and children’s and veteran’s hospitals, and they continue music education outreach through programs such as the James Burton Foundation Museum and Performing Arts Stage, the Music Education Program, an Oral History Program and the Recording Studios Program, as well as events such as the James Burton International Guitar Festival.
What GC Pro was able to do for the James Burton Foundation comes about from GC Pro’s long history of helping both education and non-profit institutions. For instance, GC Pro works with technical and media arts schools including SAE and the Art Institutes facilities in locations across the U.S., and in Nashville it has sourced equipment and provided advice to music technology programs at schools including Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Belmont University, Lipscomb University and Vanderbilt University.
“To effectively service educational institutions, you have to be able to put yourself in the place of the teacher and the student,” explains Chad Evans, Senior Account Executive for GC Pro in Nashville, who guided the James Burton Foundation through this acquisition process, providing consultation on which products and platforms would best help its students and teachers. “We’ve worked with schools and non-profits often in the past, so we’ve developed a good sense about which products are a good fit for each institution’s needs. And we’re very aware of how important budgets are to these kinds of clients. They need to know that their money is being spent wisely and effectively. We’re able to offer them the best possible advice that also fits their budgetary needs and allows them to further their missions without compromising. That’s why so many institutions like the James Burton Foundation partner with us.”
For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.
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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Founded in 2001, Guitar Center Professional is the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Its clientele includes recording studios, audio engineers, producers, recording and touring musicians, live sound venues, post production facilities and more. Emphasizing extraordinary individualized service via local account managers, GC Pro offers expert consultation and a comprehensive selection of the world’s finest equipment for music and audio professionals. More information on GC Pro can be found by visiting www.gcpro.com.
