A Marriott brand hotel, Courtyard Los Angeles Woodland Hills, has selected the M.U.S.I.C. Foundation as its partner organization for corporate sponsorship. The hotel is helping the foundation to bring musical education to youngsters in and around Los Angeles.
The Courtyard’s sponsorship is the direct result of a personal connection between the hotel’s Director of Sales, Vicki Dussaigne, and the foundation’s Executive Director. In a written statement, Dussaigne talked of growing up near Chicago, and the role of music both inside and outside of school.
Studies suggest a link between music and learning; in 2007, Christopher Johns, on faculty at the University of Kansas, showed that engaging children through music can benefit their academic performance. Elementary students in schools with a solid music education program scored 22% and 20% higher on standardized tests in English and math respectively, compared to students in schools without such programs, even when socioeconomic disparities were taken into account
The business community in Woodland Hills regularly supports local nonprofits. Often, the support takes the form of money but it can also include other things such as free flyer printing services to advertise a fundraising event, a tangible contribution of real benefit for charitable organizations.
One way Courtyard has supported M.U.S.I.C. is by making its state-of-the-art conference room available to the foundation’s board of directors on a monthly basis and free of charge. The space is contemporary and equipped with the latest tech amenities, all of which gives the board members something to sing about.
