Press Release - Music Education Champions Honored by MENC: The National Association for Music Education at 10th Annual FAME Dinner
Music Education Champions Honored by MENC: The National Association for Music Education at 10th Annual FAME Dinner
Mrs. Laura Bush, Elmo from Sesame Street, The Oak Ridge Boys, Conn-Selmer, Inc., The History Channel, and the 2005 Lowell Mason Fellows Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to Music Education
Dionne Warwick, Denny Senseney Receive First-Ever "SupportMusic Advocacy Awards"
RESTON, VA</b> (March 10, 2006) “ MENC: The National Association for Music Education presented awards to Mrs. Laura Bush, Elmo from Sesame Street, vocal group the Oak Ridge Boys, Conn-Selmer, Inc., and The History Channel at the 10th annual FAME (Fund for the Advancement of Music Education) Dinner on March 9, 2006 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. The recipients were honored for their generous commitment to improving music education in our nation™s schools. David E. Circle, president of MENC, and John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC, presided over the awards ceremonies. Funding for the FAME Dinner was provided by BMI and Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Receiving a FAME Award was Elmo, the high-spirited, playful, imaginative, and ticklish resident of Sesame Street and a budding music connoisseur. Though only 3½ years old, he is already a musician, composer and avid fan. Elmo has made music with such notable artists as Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Yo-Yo Ma, Tim McGraw, Alicia Keys and Andrea Bocelli. Elmo™s dedication to music led him to Capitol Hill in April 2002 where he testified before the Education Appropriations Subcommittee encouraging more spending on music research and musical instruments for school programs. Sharing music and singing songs together are a special part of life on Sesame Street and for Elmo, who is showing the world that no matter your age, height or color of fur, everyone has the ability to enjoy and make music. Elmo performed for the dinner attendees with Bob McGrath of Sesame Street.
The Oak Ridge Boys (Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban) received a FAME Award for their work as Official Musical Ambassadors for MENC™s National Anthem Project, the campaign to restore America™s voice through music education. Theirs has been one of the most distinctive and recognizable sounds in the music industry for more than three decades. They have released more than thirty successful albums, won countless awards from peers and fans alike, including Grammy, Country Music Association, and Academy of Country Music Association awards. The Oak Ridge Boys have made numerous appearances at military bases across the United States; offered their time and their name to government projects such as Take Pride In America sponsored by the Departments of Education and Agriculture; and became part of The National Anthem Project in 2005. Earlier in the day, the Oaks hosted MENC™s "The World™s Largest Concert for Feed The Children" on i / PAX and PBS stations nationwide. Jim Halsey, longtime manager of the group, accepted the award on their behalf.
Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States, received a FAME Award in absentia for supporting music education as national honorary chair of The National Anthem Project, MENC™s campaign to restore America™s voice through music education.
MENC presented Partnership of Professionals Awards to The History Channel and to Conn-Selmer, Inc. Both companies provide support for the National Anthem Project.
Conn-Selmer, Inc. is the leading manufacturer and distributor of band and orchestral instruments for professional, amateur and student use. The company manufactures and distributes its products under a variety of well-known brand names, including Vincent Bach, Selmer USA, C.G. Conn, Leblanc, King, Armstrong, Holton, Noblet, Martin and Vito band instruments; Ludwig and Musser percussion and Glaesel string instruments. With a mission to have every man, woman and child participate in instrumental music, the Company uses its market position to better inform and educate individuals as to the benefits of music participation and to better inform and prepare the music educators of today and tomorrow. Conn-Selmer also provides a wide array of promotional materials to communicate the benefits of music to the overall market. President and CEO of Conn-Selmer John Stoner accepted the award.
Launched on January 1, 1995, and now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel®, "Where History Lives," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. The range and quality of the programming have made the network the premiere destination for historical programming on television and one of the most watched networks in cable television. To date, more than 20,000 educators at schools, youth groups, history museums, historic sites, and civic agencies have used the educational materials to teach over 250,000 students about their local history and the importance of preserving it. Vice President for Historical Alliances Libby O™Connell accepted the award for The History Channel.
The 2005 Lowell Mason Fellows, named in honor of the "father of music education," are individuals nominated for recognition for outstanding contributions to music education. They were recognized in a special ceremony before the dinner. A complete list of Fellows can be found at www.menc.org/guides/lm/LM_main.html.
President and CEO Joe Lamond of NAMM, the International Music Products Association, presented the first SupportMusic Advocacy Awards to entertainer Dionne Warwick and to Denny Senseney, founder and chair of NAMM™s Government Relations and Music Education Committee. The award recognizes the significant contributions of those who have advanced access to music education on a local, regional or national level.
The Fund for the Advancement of Music Education (FAME) is an MENC-administered program that seeks to improve and expand music education for all by affecting changes in the general public™s perception of its importance. The program™s goals are to increase public awareness of the importance of music education and to promote public support for music education at the local, state, and federal levels. FAME funding enables the music education community to reach out beyond the parameters of the teaching profession to the world in which Americans learn about and make music. 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, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 120,000 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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