John Lennon Lives On — MENC: The National Association for Music Education Announces State Finalists in the BMI John Lennon Scholarship Program
RESTON, VA (February 1, 2008) — 89 MENC state finalists from a field of over 180 entries were selected to be forwarded to BMI for final adjudication in the 11th Annual John Lennon Scholarship Songwriting Program for young songwriters, announced MENC: The National Association for Music Education. One $10,000 scholarship (first prize) and two $5,000 scholarships (2nd and 3rd prize) will be awarded in June 2008.
The MENC state finalists were selected from compositions by college students submitted to MENC Collegiate chapter advisors nationwide. BMI invited schools with MENC Collegiate chapters to participate in the program to increase the quality and diversity of entries.
Ralph N. Jackson, president of the BMI Foundation, was elated with the successful collaboration between the two organizations. “Thank you MENC…for all (MENC) does to make this competition a success!” he said.
Yoko Ono established the John Lennon Scholarship Songwriting Program in 1997 in conjunction with the BMI Foundation. The program recognizes the talent of young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24 and encourages students to compose songs of any style and submit them for consideration. Over $150,000 in scholarship money has been awarded over the past eight years to students from music schools, universities, and youth orchestras.
Visit BMI Foundation to view the list of MENC state finalists. For more information, call 1-800-336-3768, or visit www.menc.org.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world’s largest arts education organization, marked its centennial in 2007 as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 130,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate school. 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.
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