Pharrell Williams partners with Verizon for music education program
“I want all children to have access to that kind of creative growth, access and support. All kids, not just my own.”
Verizon and Pharrell Williams are focusing on bringing music lessons to under-resourced schools nationwide.
According to Billboard, the Verizon Foundation and Pharrell are launching a tech-infused music curriculum in middle schools that are a part of the Verizon Innovative Learning schools.
The partnership will also include a new Verizon Innovative Learning Lab that will be built in a middle school in Pharrell’s hometown of Virginia Beach. The lab will feature augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics and machine learning for students.
“I want all children to have access to that kind of creative growth, access and support. All kids, not just my own,” the producer told Billboard in 2018. “There’s a lot of variables in a situation as to why something falls apart, but there’s only one scenario where it holds together, and that’s when all the variables are there. The environment, the family, the school, the system — there’s so many things. We just want to do what we can to balance the odds so that as many kids as we can afford, or help and assist in whatever ways, get this access and support.”
This weekend, Pharrell is having his inaugural Something in the Water music festival in Virginia Beach. Night one was expected to have performances from Janelle Monáe, Lil Uzi Vert, Pharrell and more. However, day one was canceled due to inclement weather.
“VA Beach, the weather wasn’t great today but it’s clearing up and we’re excited to see you first thing in the morning,” Pharrell tweeted Friday night. “Thank you for hanging in there….we will not disappoint. Thanks everyone who showed up today, every artist, every company and everyone involved.”
The official Twitter account for Something in the Water stated that ticket holders will receive a partial refund because of the cancellation.
Saturday’s lineup includes SZA, Kaytranada, Travis Scott and a performance from Pharrell and friends. Radiant Children will open up the festival at 12:30 PM local time.