Cooper Music and Monica Pearson Donate Piano, Moving and Tuning Services to the Atlanta Music Project Atlanta, GA
The teaching artists and volunteers of The Atlanta Music Project (AMP) work tirelessly to give 
back to the community by sharing with at-risk youth the importance of music and teaching these children how to harness their own creativity. Recently, a few members of the Atlanta community have decided to provide the non-profit organization with a very important tool for continuing their work. Monica Pearson, legendary local WSB-TV news anchor has donated her Story & Clark piano to after school at-risk youth non-profit organization Atlanta Music Project (AMP). Additionally, Cooper Music, a fourth generation family owned music retailer located in North Atlanta, is donating a lifetime of tuning and moving services to the organization. There is a charge for moving donations to the facility.
Pearson, a nightly news anchor for Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News program for nearly 37 years and multi local and regional Emmy winner, has long supported and lead numerous charity causes in the metropolitan area. She has received multiple awards and honorary recognitions for her humanitarian efforts, including the 2011 Champion for a Cause Award. Many of her efforts have spotlighted children’s causes, and for the past decade she reads to first graders in the Atlanta Public School System as a part of the Screen Actor’s Guild’s BookPals program. Last month, Pearson officially announced her retirement from WSB-TV effective July 2012.
Cooper Music, founded in 1906, offers piano moving, storage, restoration, tuning, repair, instrument rentals, music education and many other services to Atlanta and the surrounding metropolitan area. The Cooper Music facility is also home to the Liberty Theatre and was named Atlanta’s Best Piano Dealer in 2011. The credo of Cooper Music is "Build a better world through 
music education" and the company has worked multiple times in support of the Atlanta Music Project, specifically through Peggy Still of the Peggy Still School of Music.
Still has maintained a close relationship with the company and currently serves on the board of directors for the AMP. Still approached the President of Cooper Music, Blake Cooper, regarding the sponsorship after hearing that Pearson was planning to donate her piano for the organization’s choral program. Cooper lent piano moving and tuning services to the AMP, and has also agreed to free moving and tuning services for the organization any time in the future.
The piano Pearson donated to the Atlanta Music Project is a high quality console piano. Pearson purchased this very same piano from Cooper Music over 25 years ago. The piano is in excellent condition. It was both built and manufactured by Story and Clark – a favorite in American instrument craftsmanship and tonal excellence for over a century. Story and Clark is well known throughout the music world as one of the highest quality piano brands available. Always known for innovation, the company currently manufactures instruments with all of the same benefits of a digital piano and the characteristic appearance of an acoustic. Cooper Music continues to offer Story and Clark pianos among its diverse inventory.
The Atlanta Music Project was founded in 2010 with the slogan “Music for Social Change.” It is modeled after El Sistema, the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras in Venezuela. El Sistema was founded in 1975 and has reached out to over one million kids. Currently over 400,000 children are involved in the Venezuelan program. AMP, like El Sistema, encourages the local youth to stay out of the streets and avoid a life of gang activity and violence by instead using music as their own personal outlet. The concept behind the program is not only to build 
the confidence of the children involved, but to foster a culture of community involvement.
Children who take part in the Atlanta Music Project are not required to have any music experience, but they must commit to attending all classes. Music students must attend classes five days a week for two hours each day and will be provided their own instrument as well as performance opportunities. The children are taught by first rate performers who have attended some of the best music schools in the world. AMP continues to expand and, with it’s growth, will come more opportunities for children to learn different types of music.
The AMP is currently completing a new facility to host its choral program. The donated piano will remain in storage until the new building is inaugurated for the 2012 – 2013 school year. Cooper Music vows to remain involved with the program as it continues to offer piano services.
To contact Cooper Piano in order to learn more about their sponsorship of the Atlanta Music Project and other efforts within the local music industry, please visit their website at cooperpiano.com. Additionally, you can reach Blake Cooper, or another member of the Cooper Music team, by calling the store directly at 404-329-1663.
