With support from Gibson Foundation and Ford Motor Company Fund, program awards grants to top public high schools for music excellence

GRAMMY.com

The GRAMMY Foundation today announced that 14 schools nationwide have been selected as GRAMMY Signature Schools for 2009. 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. GRAMMY Signature Schools is presented by the Gibson Foundation with support from the Ford Motor Company Fund.
 
"It is especially significant in these challenging economic times that we are able to continue our commitment to recognizing and rewarding excellence in music education at public high schools around the country," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. "Our GRAMMY Signature Schools program is a testament to these schools and their dedication to offering high quality music programs. Many do so while facing serious financial challenges, so it is very rewarding that we are able to increase the number of Enterprise Awards from three to six this year. We appreciate the continued support of the Gibson Foundation in helping us present this program and are grateful that the Ford Motor Company Fund has joined our initiative. Both of these sponsors understand the significant and beneficial role music can play in the lives of students."

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. This year's National GRAMMY Signature School is Martin High School of Arlington, Texas.

In the Enterprise Award category, which recognizes efforts made by schools that are economically underserved, six schools will receive a grant of $5,000 each. The remaining five GRAMMY Signature Schools recipients will receive a grant award of $1,000 to benefit their music programs.

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 consisting of top music educators and professionals to determine the schools that merit Signature School status.

For a complete list of 2009 GRAMMY Signature Schools, click here.