Young Student Musicians from New York and Kansas Shine in “Green Anthem” Lyric-Writing Contest Sponsored by MENC
RESTON, VA (April 5, 2010) – MENC: The National Association for Music Education announced the winners of “The Green Anthem” Lyric-Writing Contest for grades 7–12. In this contest, MENC challenged students to display their creativity and musicality by writing new lyrics for and creating their own variations on “The Green Anthem” melody. The winners are:
1st Place: Sarah Henry, Cornwall Central Middle School, Cornwall, New York (Teacher: Valerie Ransbottom) – Sarah Henry is a seventh grader and a member of Chorus, Select Chorus, Cornwall Singers, and Band as well as her church Youth Group and Choir.
2nd Place: Bethany Doyle: Cornwall Central Middle School, Cornwall, New York (Teacher: Valerie Ransbottom) – Bethany Doyle is a seventh-grade straight-A student in the honors classes. She sings in the chorus, plays piano, and swims on the varsity swim team.
3rd Place: Brandon Strecker, Harmony Middle School, Overlook Park, Kansas (Teacher: Kathleen McCullough) – Brandon Strecker, also a seventh grade student, plays viola in the Harmony Middle School Orchestra, plays basketball and baseball, and participates in Boy Scouts.
MENC featured “The Green Anthem” by music educator, violinist, singer, composer, and clinician Julie Lyonn Liebermann in the 2010 World’s Largest Concert®, a highlight of Music In Our Schools Month® in March. The Green Anthem Project, created by Lyonn Lieberman, encapsulates the National Standards, incorporates creativity and leadership, and can mobilize communities via their students with easy-to-implement steps towards a greener earth by educating and empowering America’s youth. The mission of the Green Anthem Project is to promote musicianship, creativity and leadership, while benefiting the environment.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. Through membership of more than 75,000 active, retired, and pre-service music teachers, and with 60,000 honor students and supporters, MENC serves millions of students nationwide through activities at all teaching levels, from preschool to graduate school. MENC’s mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC’s activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education. MENC is located at the National Center for Music Education in Reston, VA.
