Battle Of The Bands Tour Hits HBCU Campuses

 TORRANCE, CA - Expanding their support for the nationÂ’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Honda and The Home Depot have announced that The Home Depot will be the official presenting sponsor of the 2011 Honda Battle of the Bands, a national music showcase and scholarship program that spotlights the amazing talents of student musicians at the nationÂ’s HBCUs. 

Marking its ninth year, the Honda Battle of the Bands is the only national scholarship program that showcases an important facet of HBCU heritage and culture - music education. Throughout the fall, over 40 HBCU marching bands will compete in the Celebration Tour seeking a coveted spot as one of eight bands selected to attend the 2011 Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase, to be held January 29, 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia. Every school that participates in the Celebration Tour receives a $1,000 grant for their music programs, and the eight bands selected to participate in the Invitational Showcase are awarded an additional $20,000. In all, a total of $205,000 in scholarship grants are awarded every year to HBCU music programs, and since the programÂ’s inception, Honda has awarded in excess of $1 million in grants.

“The Home Depot is truly thrilled to support The Honda Battle of the Bands Celebration Tour and Invitational Showcase. We appreciate and honor the rich traditions of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States and our involvement just continues to build upon our commitment to HBCUs,” says Melissa Brown, multicultural marketing manager for The Home Depot.

This year, The Home Depot also launched its “Retool Your School” grant program, which is designed to provide campus renovations and improvements to HBCUs nationwide. The program aligns The Home DepotÂ’s commitment to address the needs of the African American community through volunteerism, do-it-yourself expertise and monetary donations. “The Home DepotÂ’s “Retool Your School” program that we launched this year is an extension of our dedication and support of HBCUs and the overall African American community. We are proud of the renovation projects that we will support this year on 11 HBCU campuses which serves our primary goal of enhancing the lives of HBCU students,” explains Brown.