April 19, 2021 I Acquisition
Music & Arts Acquires Be Part of the Music
Music & Arts has acquired Be Part of the Music, a nationally renowned music education advocacy organization led by Scott Lang and Andrew Hrynyshyn. The acquisition took place on March 17. Now under the umbrella of Music & Arts, the free services offered by Be Part of the Music will be more accessible to music educators nationwide. The announcement was made by Music & Arts President Jeff Gottlieb and reflects Music & Arts’ ongoing mission of expanding the scope of the resources they offer the music education community.
Founded in 2011 and currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, Be Part of the Music provides a wide range of free content, including videos, documents and advocacy materials, as well as website builders, automated solutions and pre-built campaigns for the recruitment and retention of music students. Be Part of the Music is more than a leading voice in music education, they serve as advocate, counsel and champion to the 22,000-plus music educators and hundreds of thousands of parents who use their content regularly.
“This strategic acquisition represents a significant and long-term investment into not just advocacy, but music education,” Gottlieb said. “As one of the nation’s leading school music providers, we felt it was important to add this crucial piece of the puzzle in order to continue building a cohesive and forward-thinking advocacy program that provides value to music educators and the students they serve.
The idea for the acquisition was born in early 2020, when Music & Arts National Sales Director Brian Wilson identified a need to provide better tools for Music & Arts’ educational representatives and a better experience for their educators.
“During various discussions, we realized we could better serve our educators if we had two components that were missing before: a formalized recruitment and retention program, and a more intentional advocacy program. Once we understood this, acquiring Be Part of the Music became the obvious solution,” Wilson said.
Be Part of the Music Founder Scott Lang added, “From the very beginning, we identified Music & Arts as the ideal strategic partner. We knew we had the content and materials to help start and keep more kids in music, but we lacked the resources and extensive national reach needed to truly move the needle. Music & Arts gives us the ability to move our mission forward in a way we could never do without them. This partnership truly is a win-win!”
As a part of the acquisition, founder Scott Lang has joined the Music & Arts team in a newly formed role as director of advocacy. He reports to Brian Wilson and serves on the school services team. Lang is a veteran band director of 16 years and a renowned voice in the field of music education. He spends almost 200 days a year on the road annually and works with some of the country’s finest educational groups and performing ensembles. Lang is also the author of more than 10 music education-related publications.
Andrew Hrynyshyn has also joined the School Services team, where he is serving in the role of product manager, advocacy. In addition to his role at Be Part of the Music, he also helps support various music education advocacy organizations throughout the country, including serving as a board member for the Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts in Tempe, Arizona.
