The Music For Youth 2008 Festival is currently in full swing and, to represent Yamaha's broad range of instruments and equipment, we've been keen to support the MfY Festival with awards for: 1) Urban, Rock & Pop, 2) Jazz, 3) Wind Band, 4) Brass Band and 5) Orchestra.

Our aim is to help engage more people in music making and to support educators in their efforts to make this experience life enhancing and even life changing for their young people. We are delighted if this support contributes in some small way.

I attended the Urban, Rock & Pop event yesterday and heard and saw 12 fantastic young bands, drawn from British secondary schools. The standard was tremendously high and the judges commented frequently on the commitment and strength of performance of all the bands that took part. Soul and Blues were particularly well represented, alongside punk, metal and pop.

Congratulations to MfY on continuing to extend their work in the Rock music area and to help make every child's music really matter.