Rocking back and forth on the Old Main steps while listening to her iPod, Paulina Waksmundzki said she considers herself "one of the last ravers at Penn State."

"Whatever mood you're in, music can always bring you up," said Waksmundzki (junior-photography) while participating in Wednesday's (Silent) Rave to Save.

The College of Communications hosted the (Silent) Rave to Save, an event benefiting VH1's Save the Music Foundation.

The event brought in about 30 students willing to plug in their MP3 players, dance and have fun.

"Music takes me away from everything in my mind," raver Stephen Hardos (senior-kinesiology) said while dancing with Waksmundzki.

Save the Music Foundation raises money for schools in poor areas that don't have the funding for music class, said Renea Nichols, senior lecturer for the College of Communications.

Nichols said her public relations class wanted to host an event that could both relate to and make an impact on Penn State students.

The organizers of the event called VH1 and got the network's support, Nichols said.

"We're so fortunate to be in this area where the social economic status is higher than most areas and students have tons of resources available to them, so our students need to realize that they have to give back to other less fortunate communities," Nichols said.

Nichols' class also gained the support of local and national businesses, including Canyon Pizza, Little Caesars, Sony BMG and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

Donations ranged from food to shirts, buttons and CD demos, which were given to all attendees.

Robby Corrado (senior-public relations), account manager for the (Silent) Rave to Save, said his reason for supporting VH1's Save the Music campaign was the major impact music had on his life.

"The issue of declining education in music is of great importance to me because I want to make sure the future youth of the nation has the same opportunity to express themselves creatively like I had," he said.

Nichols said her goal for the (Silent) Rave to Save was to raise awareness for VH1's campaign, as well as get students more involved in saving music programs.

The presence of music in schools leads to higher test scores, Nichols said, adding her own daughter

didn't do well in math until she became more involved in her music classes.

Donations could be made on VH1's Save the Music Web site. Nichols said she expects about $1,000 worth of donations.

"We hope to make it an annual event and gain more donations each year," she said.