THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION® ANNOUNCES 2012 GRAMMY® SIGNATURE SCHOOLS SEMIFINALISTS

U.S. High Schools in the
Running for Grants for Music Excellence

Supported in part by Best Buy,
Campbell's Labels For Education Program,
the Ford Motor Company Fund, and Gibson Foundation

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Dec. 12, 2011)— The GRAMMY Foundation^® (www.grammyfoundation.org) today announced that 125 schools nationwide have been selected as GRAMMY^® Signature Schools semifinalists (www.grammyintheschools.com) for 2012. 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 are made possible in part through the generous support of Best Buy, Campbell's Labels For Education program, the Ford Motor Company Fund, and Gibson Foundation. Applications for the 2013GRAMMY Signature Schools program are online at www.grammyintheschools.com and the deadline to apply is Oct. 22, 2012.

"The GRAMMY Signature Schools program sustains excellence in music education by granting awards to public high school music programs in communities across the country," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy^® and the GRAMMY Foundation. "Each of these semifinalist schools should be commended for their commitment to keeping the arts in their curriculum for the long term benefits of their students."

In mid-March 2012, the GRAMMY Foundation will announce the finalists for the GRAMMY Signature Schools program. These schools will receive a custom award and a monetary grant ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to benefit their music program.The top schools are designated Gold recipients. The best of the Gold recipients is named the National GRAMMY Signature School. The remaining schools are designated GRAMMY Signature Schools.

The List of 2012 GRAMMY Signature Schools Semifinalists:

Academy of Music at Hamilton High School — Los Angeles
Adlai E. Stevenson High School — Lincolnshire, Ill.
Air Academy — USAF Academy, Colo.
Albany High School — Albany, Calif.
Allen High School — Allen, Texas
Arizona School for the Arts — Phoenix
Arsenal Technical High School — Indianapolis
Ballard High School — Seattle
Bay Shore High School — Bay Shore, N.Y.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School — Bethesda, Md.
Billings Senior High School — Billings, Mont.
Billings West High School — Billings, Mont.
Boston Arts Academy — Boston
Brownsburg High School — Brownsburg, Ind.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School — Burnt Hills, N.Y.
Carlsbad High School — Carlsbad, Calif.
Central Dauphin East High School — Harrisburg, Penn.
Central Dauphin High School — Harrisburg, Penn.
Central High School — Philadelphia
Central York High School — York, Penn.
Champs Charter High School of the Arts — Van Nuys, Calif.
Chittenango High School — Chittenango, N.Y.
Clear Lake High School — Houston
Commack High School — Commack, N.Y.
Comsewogue High School — Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.
Crown Point High School — Crown Point, Ind.
Darien High School — Darien, Conn.
David Douglas High School — Portland, Ore.
Davis Senior High School — Davis, Calif.
Detroit School of Arts — Detroit
Diamond Bar High School — Diamond Bar, Calif.
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts — Jacksonville, Fla.
Dover Area High School — Dover, Penn.
Dover Eyota High School — Eyota, Minn.
Duxbury High School — Duxbury, Mass.
East Anchorage High School — Anchorage, Alaska
East Meadow High School — East Meadow, N.Y.
Edina High School — Edina, Minn.
Edward R. Murrow High School — Brooklyn, N.Y.
Elk Grove High School — Elk Grove Village, Ill.
Emerald Ridge High School — South Hill, Wash.
Esperanza High School — Anaheim, Calif.
Evanston Township High School — Evanston, Ill.
Fairview High School — Boulder, Colo.
Flower Mound High School — Flower Mound, Texas
Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center — Columbus, Ohio
Freeport High School — Freeport, Ill.
Garden City High School — Garden City, N.Y.
George W. Hewlett High School — Hewlett, N.Y.
Glenbard West High School — Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Governor Thomas Johnson High School — Frederick, Md.
Granada Hills Charter High School — Granada Hills, Calif.
Grand Haven High School — Grand Haven, Mich.
Green Valley High School — Henderson, Nev.
Groton High School — Groton, N.Y.
Guilderland High School — Guilderland Center, N.Y.
Harker Heights High School — Harker Heights, Texas
Hopewell Valley Central High School — Pennington, N.J.
Howard W. Blake School of the Arts — Tampa, Fla.
Irvine High School — Irvine, Calif.
Jasper High School — Plano, Texas
Jeffersonville High School — Jeffersonville, Ind.
Jenison High School — Jenison, Mich.
John L. Miller-Great Neck North High School — Great Neck, N.Y.
John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School — Augusta, Ga.
Johnson City High School — Johnson City, N.Y.
Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School — Philadelphia
Kettering Fairmont High School — Kettering, Ohio
Klein Collins High School — Spring, Texas
La Cueva High School — Albuquerque, N.M.
Lancaster High School — Lancaster, N.Y.
Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing & Visual Arts — Las Vegas
Linn-Mar High School — Marion, Iowa
Long Beach Polytechnic High School — Long Beach, Calif.
Marcus High School — Flower Mound, Texas
Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School — Novato, Calif.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — Parkland, Fla.
Metea Valley High School — Aurora, Ill.
Mira Costa High School — Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Monroe-Woodbury High School — Central Valley, N.Y.
Montgomery Blair High School — Silver Spring, Md.
Morton High School — Morton, Ill.
Mount Zion High School — Jonesboro, Ga.
Mountain View High School — Vancouver, Wash.
Nanuet Senior High School — Nanuet, N.Y.
Nauset Regional High School — North Eastham, Mass.
Nederland Middle/Senior High School — Nederland, Colo.
Neuqua Valley High School — Naperville, Ill.
North Allegheny Senior High School — Wexford, Penn.
Northwest School of the Arts — Charlotte, N.C.
Northwood High School — Irvine, Calif.
O’Fallon Township High School — O’Fallon, Ill.
Penn High School — Mishawaka, Ind.
Poteet High School — Mesquite, Texas
Prospect High School — Mt. Prospect, Ill.
Quaker Valley High School — Leetsdale, Penn.
Red River High School — Grand Forks, N.D.
Richland Center High School — Richland Center, Wisc.
River Hill High School — Clarksville, Md.
Rocky Mountain High School — Fort Collins, Colo.
Roosevelt High School — Seattle
Saline High School — Saline, Mich.
South Orange County School of the Arts-Dana Hills High School — Dana Point, Calif.
Spruce Creek High School — Port Orange, Fla.
Thomas Jefferson High School — San Antonio, Texas
Tri-Cities High School — East Point, Ga.
Tuscarora High School — Frederick, Md.
Union High School — Camas, Wash.
W.T. Clarke High School — Westbury, N.Y.
Walnut High School — Walnut, Calif.
Walt Whitman High School — Huntington Station, N.Y.
Walter Johnson High School — Bethesda, Md.
Warren Central High School — Indianapolis
Warwick Valley High School — Warwick, N.Y.
Waubonsie Valley High School — Aurora, Ill.
West Port High School — Ocala, Fla.
West Salem High School — Salem, Ore.
Western High School — Anaheim, Calif.
Westwood High School — Austin, Texas
White Station High School — Memphis, Tenn.
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School — Chicago
William A. Shine-Great Neck South High School — Great Neck, N.Y.
Williamsport Area High School — Williamsport, Penn.
Winston Churchill High School — Potomac, Md.
York Community High School — Elmhurst, Ill.

The selection process for GRAMMY Signature Schools begins each year in August 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 blue-ribbon committee of top music educators and professionals to determine the schools that merit GRAMMY Signature School status.

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 its founder, 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. Campbell's Labels For Education program is proud to be the official education partner of the GRAMMY In The Schools^® programs. For more information, please visit www.grammyintheschools.com.

---

Technorati Tags: GRAMMY,FOUNDATION,ANNOUNCES,SIGNATURE,SCHOOLS,SEMIFINALISTS,High,Grants,Music,Excellence,Best,Campbell,Labels,Education,Program,Ford,Motor,Company,Fund,Gibson,SANTA,MONICA,Calif,commitment,Applications,deadline,Neil,President,Academy,arts,curriculum,students,March,finalists,custom,Gold,recipients,National,School,List,Hamilton,Angeles,Adlai,Stevenson,Lincolnshire,USAF,Colo,Albany,Allen,Texas,Arizona,Phoenix,Arsenal,Technical,Indianapolis,Ballard,Seattle,Bethesda,Chevy,Chase,Billings,Senior,Mont,West,Boston,Brownsburg,Burnt,Hills,Ballston,Lake,Carlsbad,Central,Dauphin,East,Harrisburg,Penn,Philadelphia,York,Champs,Charter,Nuys,Chittenango,Clear,Houston,Commack,Comsewogue,Port,Jefferson,Station,Crown,Point,Darien,Conn,David,Douglas,Portland,Davis,Detroit,Diamond,Anderson,Jacksonville,Dover,Area,Eyota,Minn,Duxbury,Mass,Anchorage,Alaska,Edina,Edward,Brooklyn,Grove,Village,Emerald,Ridge,South,Hill,Wash,Esperanza,Anaheim,Evanston,Township,Fairview,Boulder,Flower,Mound,Fort,Hayes,Metropolitan,Center,Columbus,Ohio,Freeport,Garden,George,Hewlett,Glenbard,Glen,Ellyn,Governor,Thomas,Johnson,Frederick,Granada,Grand,Haven,Mich,Valley,Henderson,Groton,Guilderland,Harker,Heights,Hopewell,Pennington,Howard,Blake,Tampa,Irvine,Jasper,Plano,Jeffersonville,Jenison,John,Miller,Great,Neck,North,Davidson,Fine,Magnet,Augusta,Julia,Masterman,Laboratory,Demonstration,Fairmont,Klein,Collins,Cueva,Albuquerque,Lancaster,Vegas,International,Studies,Visual,Linn,Marion,Iowa,Long,Beach,Polytechnic,Marcus,Marin,Novato,Marjory,Stoneman,Parkland,Metea,Aurora,Mira,Costa,Manhattan,Monroe,Woodbury,Montgomery,Blair,Silver,Morton,Mount,Zion,Jonesboro,Mountain,View,Vancouver,Nanuet,Nauset,Regional,Eastham,Nederland,Middle,Neuqua,Naperville,Allegheny,Wexford,Northwest,Charlotte,Northwood,Fallon,Mishawaka,Poteet,Mesquite,Prospect,Quaker,Leetsdale,River,Forks,Richland,Wisc,Clarksville,Rocky,Roosevelt,Saline,Orange,Dana,Spruce,Creek,Antonio,Cities,Tuscarora,Union,Camas,Clarke,Westbury,Walnut,Walt,Whitman,Huntington,Walter,Warren,Warwick,Waubonsie,Ocala,Salem,Western,Westwood,Austin,White,Memphis,Tenn,Whitney,Young,Chicago,William,Shine,Williamsport,Winston,Churchill,Potomac,Elmhurst,selection,August,notification,districts,information,October,documentation,recordings,concerts,concert,repertoire,ribbon,committee,educators,professionals,status,advancement,contribution,American,breakthroughs,generations,mission,industry,partnership,attention,impact,urgency,heritage,grammyintheschools