Stapleton Public Schools to Host the 2016 Music In Our Schools – Music Inspires Tour
March marked the 31st annual Music In Our Schools Month®. And over six weeks in March and April, six schools around the United States are hosting celebrations no student would want to miss.
On April 1, 2016, Stapleton Public Schools in Stapleton, NE (Logan County), will be the third of six schools to be recognized for its music program and be presented a grant for $2,500! Radio Disney artist Megan Nicole will be joined by Radio Disney on-air personality Nate for the celebration.
Radio Disney’s Nate and Radio Disney artist Megan Nicole with Stapleton music teacher Daniel Gibbs.
“The students and staff are all excited about the grant!” said music teacher Daniel Gibbs. “Most of our instruments are very old and need to be replaced. I am hoping to replace some of the older instruments with newer ones and purchase a few elementary instruments for programs and instructional use. This is such huge honor and surprise for us since we are a small Class D school in the Midwest.”
Last October, Radio Disney on-air personality Brooke Taylor and Give a Note President and Board Chair Beth Slusher announced the partnership for the third annual Music In Our Schools Tour. Thanks to the generosity of Radio Disney, the 2016 Music In Our Schools – Music Inspires Tour will have a greater reach than ever before.
The kickoff event took place March 19 at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park at Walt Disney World Resorts where Radio Disney artists Carson Lueders and Before You Exit performed during Disney Performing Arts’ Festival Disney awards. Approximately 3,500 students were in attendance during that celebration where the six schools on the Music in Our Schools Tour were introduced.
Schools from all over the nation shared performances of songs that inspired their music students. And this past February, votes were cast to select one school in each of six regions around the United States to receive a grant from the Give a Note Foundation for their music program, a celebration concert with a Radio Disney artist, and a Radio Disney Music Awards (RDMA) “ARDY” Statuette, recognizing the schools as honorary award winners of the 2016 RDMA, music’s biggest event for families.
These six schools will host the 2016 Music In Our Schools Tour (dates subject to change):
- March 17: Shady Hill Elementary School, Ocala, FL (Marion County); Music Teacher: Sondra A. W. Collins
- March 25: Spanish Fork Junior High School, Spanish Fork, UT (Utah County); Music Teacher: Angela Harman
- April 1: Stapleton Public Schools, Stapleton, NE (Logan County); Music Teacher: Daniel Gibbs
- April 8: Southwest Elementary School, Dexter, MO (Stoddard County); Music Teacher: James Eldreth
- April 15: George A. Jackson Elementary School, Jericho, NY (Nassau County); Music Teacher: Andrea Gonnella
- April 19: Maplewood Elementary School, Puyallup, WA (Pierce County); Music Teacher: Maggie Smith
Music In Our Schools Month® or “MIOSM®” is National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) annual celebration during March which engages music educators, students, and communities from around the country in promoting the benefits of high quality music education programs in schools.
However, many underserved schools around the country do not receive the support they need to sustain their music programs. This need inspired the creation of Give a Note Foundation, which was established in 2011 by NAfME with a vision of giving every child the opportunity to participate in school music programs. Give a Note shines a spotlight on those areas of need, and the value of music education in the lives of all students, and the great work of the music teachers who reach those students.
Since 2011, Give a Note has given $1.2 million in grants to schools for their music programs, reaching more than 40,000 students in 100 communities. Give a Note has reached 35 states and counting.
Follow the 2016 Music in Our Schools Tour on Instagram and Twitter by following the hashtags #MIOStour, #MIOS2016, and #MusicInspires. See bit.ly/2016MIOStour for details.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jane Mell Balek
Give a Note Foundation
(703) 860-4000 ext. 228
Janeb@giveanote.org
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