All over the world, people and societies are adjusting to social distancing and a long-term work-from-home environment. Students and teachers too are now adapting to virtual classes, quickly mastering and equipping themselves with all tools necessary to learning. While virtual classes have been a boon for continuing education, one major challenge has been to help students who may not have the resources to adapt to online classrooms. As an organization committed to advancing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math) and music education, HARMAN, through its pioneering audio brand JBL, global cause platform HARMAN Inspired and our leading music education nonprofit partner Little Kids Rock (LKR), took the initiative to support schools, educators and students across the U.S.
Partnerships: Enable Virtual Education
In a nationally organized effort to support kids’ online learning, JBL and their brand ambassadors partnered with LKR, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding music education in schools, to donate headphones to students in schools across the country. Demonstrating their innovative spirit, Little Kids Rock has been supporting e-learning during the lockdown with free virtual music lessons for students. With the help of these high-quality headphones provided by JBL and LKR, students can rely on clear audio during their virtual classes and delve deeper into their music lessons.
We were proud to see several of our ambassadors participate in this initiative as well as contribute to the donation drive, including Aaron Judge, Julius Randle, Kenny Smith, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Kemba Walker, Zach LaVine, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andre Drummond and Bam Abedayo. Together, we contributed more than 6,300 JBL TUNE 700 BT and the JBL LIVE 400 BT headphones to students in schools across 10 cities, including New York, Cleveland, Detroit, and Los Angeles. With the donation, the brand ambassadors also sent out a message of community, hope and commitment, advocating on their personal social channels to aid student learning in this new virtual environment.
We’re thankful to have a strong community of partners and ambassadors passionate about supporting student education across the country. These efforts were well-received by both the students and the teaching faculty. Here are some of their testimonials:
- Jia, a student, said, "Thank you JBL, Little Kids Rock, and HARMAN for donating these headphones especially through a time like this you guys are willing to help and sharing your goods with us."
- Another student, Kyrylo added, "Thank you for headphones. They are amazing. I really like the feature that they eliminate the sound from the outside of the headphones and it helps me concentrate at home."
- Ms. Claus, a teacher involved in distributing these donations to students shared, "I was one of the lucky ones to go out and distribute the headphones. I found such happiness in doing this. Not only did I get to see the kids whom were so grateful and appreciative, but I also saw parents who were so happy for the gift their child received. Everyone was so thankful, even some that didn't believe it until they actually had them in their hands. It was an amazing experience and gave me joy."
Community Contributions
In addition to JBL and LKR’s partnership, HARMAN also led a donation drive at an organizational level to support our local communities, providing 400 headphones to the Cloonan Middle School in Stamford, CT, where our headquarters are located. This is part of HARMAN’s ongoing efforts towards helping our local communities and society, through global cause initiatives that rely on our support and advocacy for STEAM and music education.
Through our brands like JBL and its brand ambassadors, nonprofit partners and global cause-based platform like HARMAN Inspired, we are committed to empowering the next generation through music and STEAM education - helping tomorrow’s leaders realize their true potential. As we all maintain social distancing, we take great pride in our partner organizations like Little Kids Rock that are helping teachers adapt to a new learning environment by organizing virtual classes for students. We hope that these musical products help better equip students in their new learning environment and allow them to make the most of their virtual classrooms. To all who helped make this campaign a success, thank you! When we come together, as a community, we can make the greatest difference.