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Eddie Van Halen Donates Old Guitars to Schools in L.A.
Photo by DaveOnFlickr via Flickr
Any Eddie Van Halen fans out there should consider pulling a Drew Barrymore in "Never Been Kissed" and heading back to high school -- the legendary rocker donated 75 of his own used electric guitars to schools around Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Van Halen teamed up with the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation to give the instruments to schools with under-funded music programs. In a statement, he said that music provided a kind of salvation for him, and he hopes it will do the same for others.
"Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble, and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me," he said. "If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that's a wonderful thing."
CBS Los Angeles reports that Garfield High School was one of the recipients of the guitars. Michael Flores, a student there, noticed the difference in the sound produced by Van Halen's old instruments right away.
"Compared to what I played in the beginning," he told CBS, "this sounds amazing.”
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