David J. Elliott

Mike Veny, professional drummer and drum teacher promotes music education for kids of all ages on his two e-commerce websites through his “You Save – We Donate™” program that benefits the Fender Music Foundation.

Mike Veny has been teaching and playing drums professionally for over 20 years. From his drum studio located in Times Square, New York City, he has built not only a thriving drum lesson business and musical outreach to emotionally and mentally disabled children, but now manages two wildly successful e-commerce enterprises that are helping to fund music education programs nationwide.

Advocating music instruction in schools, Mike Veny donates a portion of each purchase made at FunkyMusicStore.com and FunkFootwear.com to help fund the efforts of the Fender Music Foundation. This nonprofit foundation provides funding and resources for music programs and music education across the United States; helping kids and adults experience the joys of music first hand. Mike Veny says “Music is an important part of my life and I was fortunate as a child to have a music program in my school. Some kids are not so lucky.”

Performing as a professional drummer since the 11th grade, Mike immersed himself in the world of drumming at an early age. His musical interests range from contemporary Christian music to blues and jazz. He considers himself a “funk drummer at heart”. “I have a passion for music with a strong groove that feels good.” Veny says.

The classical music world’s latest Big Idea — a movement to marry music education to social work — has been jolted in this country by the rocky divorce between the effort’s fledgling national organization and the New England Conservatory here.

The organization, El Sistema U.S.A., an offshoot of El Sistema, a national music training program in Venezuela that has inspired similar efforts around the world, is expected to leave the Boston conservatory by June for a home to be determined. The conservatory, which has basked in the glow of association with the movement, has declined to provide funds for an expansion that Sistema backers say is crucial and inevitable.

“We really felt this was outside our mission altogether,” the conservatory’s president, Tony Woodcock, said in an interview last week. He forcefully praised the movement’s goals and said that the substantive work of El Sistema U.S.A. — a program in which 10 fellows a year are trained to go off and establish or run music education programs — would go on at the conservatory. The institution has promised to finance the program, now in its second season, for five years. Mr. Woodcock left open the possibility that the fellowship would end after that. He said his decision to sever ties with El Sistema was made with leaders of the conservatory’s board.

More at the NY Times.