Although not a musical, music is an essential part of Disney•Pixar’s Día de los Muertos-inspired film “Coco.”  The movie’s main character, Miguel, is driven largely by his love of music and desire to be a musician.  The animation staff at Pixar videoed guitarists from different angles for references, so when characters in “Coco” played music, they perfectly mimicked their real world counterparts.  Even the movie’s main song “Remember Me” won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

So it is not surprising that in 2017, Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” teamed up with the nonprofit the GRAMMY™ Music Education Coalition (GMEC) to bring music from the film and learning content to teachers and youth.

A first-of-its-kind national organization, the GMEC is a collective of more than 30 music education organizations, including:

• Berklee College of Music

• Bohemian Foundation

• the ELMA Music Foundation

• Recording Academy Grammy Museum

• Lang Lang International Music Foundation™

• Little Kids Rock

• Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music

• NAMM Foundation (National Association of Music Merchants)

• National Association for Music Education (NAfME)

• Quadrant Research

• Recording Academy

• VH1 Save The Music Foundation

With an emphasis on public schools at the elementary and secondary level, the GMEC works with districts to provide needs-based grants, as well as to increase the number of students actively engaged in music instruction and music making.

“The GRAMMY Music Education Coalition has one mission - to increase the number of students actively making music across the country with particular emphasis on underserved communities,” said Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow. “The partnerships we are creating with school districts, teachers, parents and youth are designed to drive systemic change across geographies and communities nationwide.”

According to the GMEC’s website, “more than 75 percent of teachers say they can tell which students are taking music classes by their attitudes and performance, yet 3.8M [million] underserved Pre-K-12 students in the U.S. have no access to music education and the benefits it provides.”  In addition, the website states that “89 percent of teachers and 82 percent of parents rate music education highly as a source for greater student creativity — a 21st century skill highly likely to help young people stand out in an increasingly competitive global economy.”

“We know that the benefits of music education extend far beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Lee Whitmore, executive director of the GMEC. “By increasing the number of students actively making music, we are fostering the development of essential cognitive and social skills that better prepare them for success, as well as beginning a lifelong appreciation of music.”

In support of the GMEC, The Walt Disney Studios provided new educational materials within Berklee College of Music’s Berklee PULSE, an online music education resource for students and educators.  Disney•Pixar’s “Coco” team also donated 300 Cordoba guitars to GMEC partners.

“‘Coco’ is rooted in music,” said Adrian Molina, co-director, screenwriter and a songwriter for “Coco.” “The film features traditional Mexican music and original songs—‘Remember Me’ and ‘Un Poco Loco’ [are featured] in the program, along with Mexican folk songs. We believe in GMEC and its mission and are honored to work with this organization.”

For more information on the GMEC, visit www.grammymusiced.org.

Information derived from various sources including Business Wire. •