Hard Rock Cafe Brings Joy

One day in April, Hillary Ward-Coates from the Hard Rock Café in Gatlinburg called the Joy of Music School to let us know that on June 14 there would be a celebration of 40th anniversary of the Hard Rock Cafe. That sounded great to us. But what did that have to do with providing music lessons to children who can’t afford them? Hillary continued to explain; not being the shy types, the Hard Rock Cafe would be doing their party up large, by launching “40 Days That Rock”, an ongoing anniversary celebration featuring live music every night in the Gatlinburg location. This is the first time they have featured live music in this store, she explained, so they were very excited about offering it for their patrons. Okay, that’s cool. But where do we fit in? we asked.

The really cool news Hillary offered in that phone call–and the part we could hardly believe–was that the Hard Rock Cafe wants to partner with the Joy of Music School for the entire celebration, offering us a presence at the cafe during each of the 40 days of fun, food and music. And they want to use the opportunity to raise money to support the School’s programs. Wow!

Tuesday, June 14, is the centerpiece day of the 40 Days That Rock. They call it Founders Day. And it’s a big deal. So, rather than just feature live music in the evening, bands will play all day long. Special drawings and promotions will add to the festive atmosphere. Lots of friends from the Joy of Music School will be there all day too. It’s going to be a big, fun celebration! We hope you’ll join in!

If you can’t make it on June 14th, but you do find yourself at the Gatlinburg Hard Rock Cafe any day between May 16 and June 24, we hope you’ll stay into the evening and enjoy live music, great food and drink, and support the School. A guitar will be circulating to receive gifts. A short video showing some of our awesome kids will be shown and a representative will talk about the good work of our volunteer teachers and the kids they teach. Then the music will begin–every night of the week! Come join us, and have a big fun in Gatlinburg at the world famous Hard Rock Cafe!

Thank you, Hillary and Hard Rock Cafe Gatlinburg! You definitely rock!