Guitar playing could soon become part of your regular working day, thanks to Fender

Zappos employees play Fender guitars
(Image credit: Zappos.com)

In a surprise - and really quite awesome - move, Fender has partnered with online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos to encourage guitar playing in the workplace.

The ‘Strum for the Sole’ program is intended to promote wellbeing and work-life balance through the use of digital learning app Fender Play.

As we all know, playing electric or acoustic guitar is a great way to reduce stress, promote creativity, self-expression and confidence, and that’s exactly what Fender hopes to bring to Zappos employees.

If it’s successful, and we hope it will be, we can then extend to multiple other corporate partners

Evan Jones, Fender

Lucky employees at Zappos’ Las Vegas campus have even been kitted out with a jam room, populated with models from Fender’s Player, Vintera and California Series.

The most exciting news of all, however, is that Fender has said the scheme could be coming to your very own workplace.

“If it’s successful, and we hope it will be, we can then extend to multiple other corporate partners who might also want to make music available to their employee base as part of their own health and wellness programs,” Evan Jones, chief marketing officer at Fender, told The Drum.

Now, we haven’t done a survey or anything, but we’re going to take a guess and say that every GW reader wants this scheme in every single workplace on the planet. Immediately. Make it so, Fender!

Learn to play guitar with Fender Play. Get 50% off here

Learn to play guitar with Fender Play. Get 50% off here
The Fender Play learning platform is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to learn to play guitar - and it just got even cheaper: you can now get 50% off an annual plan, which brings the monthly price down to just $4.99. Don't forget to enter the code fenderplayfive at the checkout.

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Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.