School Music Ensembles from Green Bay, WI, Chesapeake, VA, and Cheyenne, WY Share the Spotlight During March “ Music In Our Schools Month® 2007
Green Bay East High School Voted “Overall Favorite Video” in 2007 Music In Our Schools Showcase
RESTON, VA (March 19, 2007) — MENC: The National Association for Music Education announced the results of the 2007 Music In Our Schools Showcase following the casting of nearly 48,000 online votes. The videos voted the favorites were:
High School: Green Bay East High School, Green Bay, WI (Kimberly Seidl, music teacher)
Middle School: Western Branch Middle School, Chesapeake, VA (Linda Darden Boles, music teacher)
Elementary: Buffalo Ridge Elementary School, Cheyenne, WY (Mary Ann Fritz, music teacher)
Green Bay East High School also received the most votes in the “overall favorite” category for their video, which featured an introduction by school principal Ed Dorff and a performance of “You Raise Me Up” by student instrumentalists and vocalists.
The Showcase is a program designed to spotlight school music programs, recognize superior performances, and promote the importance of music education during March, Music In Our Schools Month®. MENC members at K-12th grade schools were invited to participate by submitting videos, and nine outstanding examples were selected as finalists, with one honorable mention. Members of the public were invited to vote at www.menc.org/events March 1-15 for their favorite at the elementary, middle school and high school levels and for their favorite overall.
To participate in the Showcase, MENC members, who are our nation’s school music teachers, submitted video recordings of their school musical groups performing one song from a short list designated by MENC. Each video was to include an introduction featuring a principal, superintendent, or local decision maker stressing the importance of music education and pride in the local program. A panel of MENC members chose three finalists at each level (elementary, middle, and high school).
“Congratulations to the schools selected, and to all of the finalists in the Music In Our Schools Showcase” said MENC president Lynn M. Brinckmeyer. “The videos created for the Showcase all demonstrated wonderful examples of how music touches lives and how music programs are making a difference in the lives of young people. MENC leaders, members and staff are proud of all our teachers and their students who are learning and making music in classrooms around our nation.”
The finalists were chosen for submitting videos that combined a strong advocacy message, musicality, and originality. The nine schools are:
High School
Seneca Valley High School, Harmony, PA (Bobi-Jean Alexander, music teacher)
Green Bay East High School, Green Bay, WI (Kimberly Seidl, music teacher)
Firestone High School, Akron, OH (Pamela W. Fiocca, music teacher)
Middle School
St. John Lalande Middle School, Blue Springs, MO (Michael Walsh, music teacher)
Western Branch Middle School, Chesapeake, VA (Linda Darden Boles, music teacher)
Centerville Junior High School, Centerville, UT (Sherryl Cazier, music teacher)
Elementary School
Buffalo Ridge Elementary School, Cheyenne, WY (Mary Ann Fritz, music teacher)
Crestwood Elementary School, Rockford, MI (K. D’Anne Ibarra, music teacher)
Lake Highland Preparatory School, Orlando, FL (Cheryl Sims, music teacher)
Honorable Mention
James E. Allen Junior/Senior High School, Long Island, NY (Tracy Souhrada, music teacher)
For more information, visit www.menc.org/events.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world’s largest arts education organization, is 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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