SchoolJam, a popular teen musicians' showcase in Texas that provides recognition for young performers as well as funding for their school music programs, is about to go nationwide. The competition, which NAMM, the International Music Products Association, brought to the United States from Germany in 2007, allows groups of musicians age 13 to 18 to compete by showcasing their original music, in any genre. Friends and fans cast votes for the bands, with the most popular moving on to the semifinals and a final battle of the bands. Money toward new music equipment is the prize, with the winning band receiving $750 and its members' school earning $5,000 worth of gear from a local NAMM dealer of their choice. As in the Texas pilot program, bands can enter at no cost. Bands in every state will be invited to participate, and NAMM and its partners will pare the submissions down to 10 bands in each of five regions. If the evidence from Germany and Texas is any indication, the program seems poised to explode in popularity.