SANTA MONICA, CA. (Top40 Charts/ GRAMMY Foundation) - The GRAMMY Foundation today announced that 14 schools nationwide have been selected as GRAMMY Signature Schools for 2008. Created in 1998, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year.
"For the past 10 years, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program has recognized and rewarded excellence in music education at U.S. public high schools," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and President of the GRAMMY Foundation. "These schools maintain high quality music programs that foster and demonstrate the significant role music can play in the lives of their students. Many do so with serious economic challenges, so it is especially gratifying that we are able to award three Enterprise Awards this year. We are also grateful for the continued support of the Gibson Foundation for this program."
Each of the 14 GRAMMY Signature Schools will receive a custom award and a monetary grant to benefit its music program. The top three are designated Gold recipients. The best of the Gold recipients is designated the National GRAMMY Signature School. The National GRAMMY Signature School will receive $10,000, and the two remaining Gold schools each will receive $5,000. In the Enterprise Award category, which recognizes efforts made by schools that are economically underserved, three schools will receive a grant of $5,000 each. Additionally, through the Gibson Foundation, three schools will each be awarded grants of $5,000 to benefit their guitar and/or piano programs. Award presentations are made throughout the spring at the National GRAMMY Signature School, and schools that are Gold recipients, Enterprise Award winners and Gibson grantees. The remaining five GRAMMY Signature Schools recipients will receive a grant award of $1,000 to benefit their music programs. The recipients are determined by a panel of top music educators and professionals.
Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Ill., was named the National GRAMMY Signature School. Schools awarded Gold status are: Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Jacksonville, Fla., and Plano Sr. High School, Plano, Texas. The GRAMMY Signature Schools Enterprise Award recipients are: Bridger High School, Bridger, Mont.; Nederland Sr. High School, Nederland, Colo.; and Philomath High School, Philomath, Ore.
The selection process for GRAMMY Signature Schools begins each year in September when the GRAMMY Foundation mails notification to more than 20,000 public high schools from districts large and small, urban, suburban and rural, requesting information about each school's music program. Applications are completed and submitted online in October at www.grammyintheschools.com. After the applications are scored, finalists are identified and asked to submit additional documentation, such as recordings of school concerts, sample concert programs and repertoire, which is then reviewed by an independent screening committee to determine the schools that merit Signature School status. The GRAMMY Signature Schools' Blue Ribbon Committee selects the National school, the two Gold recipients and the two Enterprise Award schools.
The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture - from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of future generations of music professionals. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with The Recording Academy to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit www.grammyintheschools.com.
Gibson Foundation is the philanthropic division of Gibson Guitar Corp., the world's premiere musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology. The mission of Gibson Foundation is to make the world a better place for children by creating, developing and implementing programs as well as through its support of other nonprofit organizations that advance education, music and the arts, the environment and health and welfare causes. For more information please visit www.gibsonfoundation.org.
The Complete List of 2008 GRAMMY Signature Schools:
2008 National GRAMMY Signature School ($10,000)
Glenbrook South High School - Glenview, Ill.
2008 GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold ($5,000 each)
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts - Jacksonville, Fla.
Plano Sr. High School - Plano, Texas
2008 GRAMMY Signature Schools Enterprise Award ($5,000 each)
Bridger High School - Bridger, Mont.
Nederland Sr. High School - Nederland, Colo.
Philomath High School - Philomath, Ore.
2008 Gibson Grant Schools ($5,000 each)
Columbus High School ? Maplewood, N.J.
Hamilton Academy of Music ? Los Angeles
Springbrook High School ? Silver Spring, Md.
2008 GRAMMY Signature Schools ($1,000 each)
Charles A. Sprague High School - Salem, Ore.
High School of the Performing & Visual Arts - Houston
Las Vegas International Academy of Performing & Visual Arts - Las Vegas
Santa Monica High School - Santa Monica, Calif.
South Salem High School - Salem, Ore.
