Save the Music gala raises $2M

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The VH1 Save the Music Foundation raised more than $2 million at its star-studded 10th anniversary gala in New York, VH1 said Friday.

The foundation was created to help restore music education programs in public schools across the United States and its goal is to get $100 million worth of new musical instruments into the hands of students.

It has already provided $40 million in instruments, affecting the lives of more than 1 million children.

John Mayer, Jon Bon Jovi, Roger Waters, Miri Ben-Ari and an orchestra made up of students from Save the Music grant recipient schools performed at the Sept. 20 event.

Tim Gunn of "Project Runway" also emceed a live auction, which raised more than $200,000, by selling off items like Gibson guitars signed by Tom Petty, Metallica, Neil Young, Paul McCartney and Keith Richards.

"I don't think I'd have been president if I didn't have the gift of school music when I was a boy," said former President Bill Clinton, who was honored at the event. "We cannot let music disappear from our schools. You don't know if there's a Quincy Jones in school today if there is no piano, no saxophone."