NEWS RELEASE

THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION^ฎ ANNOUNCES THE 2007 GRAMMY^ฎ SIGNATURE SCHOOLS

$1,000 – $10,000 Grants Provided To 22 Public High Schools Across The Country

Recognized For Their Commitment To Music Education  

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 5, 2007) — The GRAMMY Foundation^ฎ today announced 22 schools nationwide that have been selected as GRAMMY^ฎ Signature Schools for 2007. 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.

"Each year, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program celebrates schools across the U.S. that have created exemplary music programs," said Neil Portnow, Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation President. "These schools recognize the influential role music plays in the lives of young people, and are committed to maintaining excellence in their music curricula to better serve their students."

Each of the 22 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 Gibson Foundation, three schools will be each awarded additional 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 GRAMMY Signature Schools recipients each will receive a grant award of $1,000 to benefit their music programs.

Determined by a panel of top music educators and professionals, New Trier High School, Winnetka, Ill., was named the National GRAMMY Signature School. Schools awarded Gold status are: Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Jacksonville, Fla., and Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora, Ill.. The GRAMMY Signature Schools Enterprise Award recipients are: Chesnee High School, Chesnee, S.C., DeKalb School of the Arts, Atlanta, Ga. and Fitzgerald High School, Warren, Mich.  

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 three 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^ฎ 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 arm of the 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 supporting programs and other nonprofit organizations in their efforts to 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 2007 GRAMMY Signature Schools:

2007 National GRAMMY Signature School ($10,000)

New Trier High School — Winnetka, Ill.

2007 GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold ($5,000 each)

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts — Jacksonville, Fla.

Waubonsie Valley High School — Aurora, Ill.
 

2007 GRAMMY Signature Schools Enterprise Award ($5,000 each)  

Chesnee High School — Chesnee, S.C.

DeKalb School of the Arts — Atlanta, Ga.

Fitzgerald High School — Warren, Mich.

2007 Gibson Grant Schools ($5,000 each)  

Hunters Lane High School ― Nashville, Tenn.

The Governor’s School for the Arts ― Norfolk, Va.

William A. Shine – Great Neck South High School ― Great Neck, N.Y.

2007 GRAMMY Signature Schools ($1,000 each)

Boardman High School — Boardman, Ohio

Boulder High School — Boulder, Colo.

Edina Senior High School — Edina, Minn.

Davis Senior High School — Davis, Calif.

Hamilton High School — Los Angeles

Irvine High School — Irvine, Calif.

Klein Oak High School — Spring, Texas

Northwood High School — Irvine, Calif.

St. Charles North High School — St. Charles, Ill.

State College Area High School — State College, Pa.

Valparaiso High School — Valparaiso, Ind.

West Ottawa High School — Holland, Mich.

William Fremd High School — Palatine, Ill.

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Media Contacts:       

Christina Cassidy/The GRAMMY Foundation/310.392.3777/christina.cassidy@grammy.com      

Caroline Galloway/Gibson/Baldwin/440.338.3469/caroline.galloway@gibson.com