Nintendo of America sent word today that it's partnered with MENC: The National Association for Music Education in an effort to "inspire students and promote an active appreciation for music." MENC will aid Nintendo in getting Wii Music integrated in school curricula in 51 cities across the nation.

"The goal of Wii Music is to inspire people of all ages to enjoy music," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "By partnering with educators and bringing Wii Music into their classrooms, we hope to give students a memorable, hands-on experience that helps them discover their own creative voice."

"At any grade level, it's essential to provide students with the tools and encouragement they need to be creative," said John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC. "We look forward to collaborating with Nintendo to drive awareness and advocacy for music education through Wii Music."

Some school teachers have already begun using Nintendo's game. Helen A. Krofchick, a music teacher at Doby's Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, S.C., commented, "I love how many music standards can be covered in such a short time. Students also have to use language skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. We have a school very supportive of the arts and Wii Music has empowered our program even more. Any system that is educational and can add a love of music to children's lives should be in every classroom."

Other partners already on board with the Wii Music program include San Francisco's Blue Bear School of Music and New York's Opus 118 Harlem School of Music.

Wii Music was critically panned and got off to a slow start commercially with just 81K units sold in the U.S. in October. The game did bounce back in November with 297K copies sold. Once we have the December data in a couple days, we'll see how many new Wii adopters also picked up Wii Music.