Heineken Funding DJ Lessons in Spanish

Under its yearlong “MezclaSonic” music series, Heineken USA has conferred a $10,000 Green Ribbon grant on DJ4LIFE Academy in support of a limited number of DJ classes to be offered in Spanish. Slated to start early next year in New York, Miami and San Francisco, the free, three-hour hands-on sessions will feature bilingual instructors and teach attendees the basics of DJing and how to craft music mashups.

“We are proud of the contributions that the Heineken 'Green Ribbon' program has made over the years to aspiring Hispanic musicians, arts organizations and now Latino DJs,” noted Daniel Mandelbaum, brand manager at White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken. The grant was given in recognition of those who wore the green ribbon at the recent 11th annual Latin Grammys, thereby displaying their support for the development of Hispanic music.

Mandelbaum was on hand last  week at the brand’s sleek new offices in midtown Manhattan for the presentation of an oversized $10,000 check. Carlos Fusaro (aka DJ Soulman), the instructor at DJ4LIFE studio in Miami, accepted the check on behalf of the San Francisco-based academy, an internationally accredited DJ school that offers various class levels across the United States as well as in such international cities as Hong Kong.

Further details are available at www.dj4life.com/greenribbon. Class participants must be 21 or older.

“It’s inspiring to have an iconic brand like Heineken involved in the Latino DJ movement,” said DJ4LIFE Academy founder Tall Sasha. “There are very few, if any, DJ schools that currently offer workshops in Spanish.”

Over the years, the Green Ribbon program has provided funding for music education and individual musicians in Hispanic communities nationwide. With this year’s partnership, Heineken has attained its goal of contributing $100,000 to support music education.