MENC: The National Association for Music Education Announces MENC State Finalists in BMI John Lennon Scholarship Program
12th Annual Songwriting Program Winners to Be Announced in June
RESTON, VA (February 13, 2009) — 44 MENC state finalists from a field of 93 entries were selected to be forwarded to BMI for final adjudication in the 12th 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 2009.
The John Lennon Scholarship Songwriting Program was established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation. The John Lennon Scholarships have been made possible through generous donations from Ono with matching funds from Gibson Musical Instruments, awarding more than $220,000 to students from select colleges, universities, and music schools throughout the United States. 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.
The MENC state finalists were selected from compositions 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.
For more information and the list of finalists, 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 142,000 members and supporters include educators representing 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. MENC is located at the National Center for Music Education in Reston, VA.
