Nashville School Among Semifinalists for Grammy Recognition, Funding

One Nashville public school, Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet High School, is among the 119 schools nationwide that have been selected as Grammy Signature Schools semifinalists for 2016.

The Grammy Signature Schools program was started in 1998, and recognizes top U.S. public high schools that make an outstanding commitment to music education. In mid-March 2016, the foundation will announce the finalists for the Grammy Signature Schools program.

Each of the Grammy Signature Schools finalists will receive a custom award and monetary gift ranging from $1000 to $6000 benefit their music programs. The top programs are designated as Gold recipients, while the best program of the Gold recipients is named as the National Grammy Signature School. For economically underserved schools, the Grammy Foundation has also established the Enterprise Award, recognizing the efforts these schools have made in music education.

The Grammy Signature Schools program has been created through the support of Converse, Ford Motor Company Fund, Hot Topic Foundation, Journeys, Les Paul Foundation and RBC Foundation USA.

The Grammy Foundation has also established the Grammy Signature Schools Community Award, an extension of the Grammy Signature Schools program. Through a partnership with Converse, the Hot Topic Foundation, Journeys, Les Paul Foundation, Brookfield Properties and the RBC Foundation USA, the Grammy Foundation identifies deserving public high school music programs to receive the award and a $2,000 grant. To date, 500 awards totaling approximately $1 million in grants have been distributed to high school music programs.

“From our perspective, many public high schools across the country provide top notch music education programs for their students—often working with very limited financial means,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation. “Our Grammy Signature Schools program steps in to augment those resources with cash grants, and to celebrate the excellence of these programs and the beneficial and lasting effects of a music curriculum in the lives of young people. We are especially excited to celebrate a landmark in our Grammy Signature Schools Community Award program, which has awarded its 500th grant since the initiative began in 2010.”

For a full list of semifinalist schools, visit grammyintheschools.com.