14 years ago today, a dozen Phish fans formally incorporated their efforts to build intellectual property related to the band Phish and their music, to protect that intellectual property, and to begin distributing it for the benefit of music education for children. The Mockingbird Foundation’s Articles of Incorporation, filed March 26, 1997, included a mission that was ballsy but prescient, and one we’re proud to have accomplished and to be continuing to develop:
The purpose or purposes for which the Corporation is to be formed are as follows: To engage in the study, publication, distribution and dissemination of books and other published materials in written, electronic and/or recorded form concerning the music, history, performances and biographies of the musical group Phish and other contemporary popular musical groups and performers, and on such related areas of interest as the technical aspects of the tape recording of live concert music; to hold and deal in the copyrights, trademarks and other indicia of intellectual property protecting the work products produced by those collectively engaged in such study and publication: to distribute any net income from the publication of such published or licensed materials for such qualified not-for-profit charitable, educational, cultural or other purposes as may be permitted by law and as the directors of the corporation deem to be consistent with the purposes of this corporation and the public interest. To do any other act or thing incidental to or connected with the foregoing purposes or in advancement thereof, but not for the pecuniary profit or financial gain of its members, directors, or officers….
In the ensuing years, the Mockingbird Foundation has distributed 193 grants, in 42 states, totalling more than $620,000.
This coming Monday, the Foundation will announce recipients of grants in its 14th round of competitive funding. In coming weeks, we’ll announce several new efforts, and look forward to your participation in them.
The board members, working groups, and volunteers associated with Mockingbird appreciate your many years of support, and look forward to continuing our efforts for decades to come.
Two organizations founded and operated by fans of the rock band Phish announced today that they have raised and distributed a combined $1,000,000 for charity. The joint announcement was made by The Mimi Fishman Foundation, which raises funds through online auctions, and The Mockingbird Foundation, which publishes historical information about Phish in print and online. Both organizations are operated on an all-volunteer basis, with no salaries, paid staff, or offices. (Formal release)
The Mockingbird Foundation was organized in 1996, by Craig DeLucia and a dozen other fans, to raise funds for music education for children through the publication of an encyclopedic book about Phish and its music. Expanding its efforts to include the cultivation and distribution of Phish-related intellectual property more generally, the Foundation has published two editions of a 900-page book, released a double-disc tribute album, produced a variety of tour-friendly merchandise, and re-launched the Phish.net website as a comprehensive database with a dozen mobile extensions. As a result of these efforts, as well as direct donations, the Mockingbird Foundation has been able to fund 193 grants (in 42 states) totaling over $613,000.
The Mimi Fishman Foundation was organized in 1998, by Mimi Fishman (mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) and family friend David Shulman, to raise funds for vision-related charities through online auctions of Phish-donated memorabilia. While expanding its focus of charitable giving to include women, children, and animal-related charities, the Foundation also expanded its musical reach by receiving donated auction items from other bands, including The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Umphrey’s McGee. The Mimi Fishman Foundation has administered over 30 online auctions resulting in grants being made to 38 organizations totaling over $390,000.
Communal efforts by Phish fans reflect the history of the band itself. Phish earned commercial success during the 1990s stealthily, with little radio play and a video that primarily aired as joke fodder on Beavis and Butthead. They evolved from a rumored bar band to an idolized arena organization, benefitting from ingenuity and courage as much as from talent. Ingenuity and courage also drove fans of the same period to begin orchestrating charitable works at shows: the Green Crew collected trash from venue surroundings, the Karma Crew and Clifford Care Bears discouraged hard drug use, the Phellowship provided camaraderie for sober fans, and the Phunky Bitches provided support to female fans. While several of those nascent elements continue, the charitable ambitions of volunteer fans expanded alongside Phish’s success. Groups incorporated, boards of directors were formed, and Phish fan philanthropy was born.
The Mockingbird and Mimi Fishman Foundations look forward to many more years of serving Phish fans and grantees alike. Each has already raised the funds for additional grants to be announced this fall, and each is underway with new plans to continue their success.
The Mockingbird Foundation and The Mimi Fishman Foundation, both 100% volunteer non-profits with ties to the band Phish, are delivering grants that will fully fund the publication of a book from the National Braille Press entitled Who’s Afraid of Braille Music? Aimed at every teacher of braille, teacher of music, and parent who wants to help a blind child acquire music literacy, the book introduces the concepts of reading, writing, singing and playing braille music.
The Mockingbird Foundation revealed the partial funding of the instructional book with the announcement of their February round of grants. The Mimi Fishman Foundation has stepped up to complete the funding of the book, through sales of an online charity auction that will feature many artifacts from former Phish drummer, Jon Fishman.
“Since Phish broke up I’ve finally gotten around to going through all the piles of drum equipment I’ve accumulated over the years and setting aside the items I no longer need or will ever use again,” said Fishman. “There have been a lot of opinions about what I should do with them one way or another, but it’s always been clear to me the best thing I could do would be to auction it off through my mother’s foundation to help raise money for those she would have been happy to support.”
The charity auction features various pieces of Fishman’s drum kits used on tours as well as studio recordings – some dating back to the mid to late 80′s. This impressive list of items includes Jon’s first kick drum which was used during the recording of “Junta” as well as early tour dates, his complete road practice kit, as well as many other gems from his equipment while with Phish. Fishman signed all the items he donated.
“The Mockingbird Foundation is pleased to support a book that makes music education available to children who are blind,” said Ellis Godard, Executive Director of the Mockingbird Foundation. “The extra support from the Mimi Fishman Foundation makes the book fully funded by the Phish community, something we can all be proud of as Phish fans.”
To view and/or bid on the auction, please visit the Mimi Fishman Foundation Auction Page. The auction begins April 2.
“Jon (Fishman) and I have been talking about this auction for a while now. I am thrilled we were able to pull it together to help such wonderful causes”, said David Shulman, the Foundation’s Executive Director.
The Mimi Fishman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1999 by Miriam “Mimi” Fishman (the late mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) and David Shulman as a vehicle to raise funds for various charities, including The American Glaucoma Society, Colorado’s Boulder County Safehouse, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Evangelical Children’s Home, Healing the Children, The Solace House and The Delta Gamma Center for the Visually Impaired. With no paid employees, the Foundation operates solely by the help of unpaid volunteers. To date the Foundation has been responsible for the distribution of nearly $200,000 to the charities it supports.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Since its inception in 1996, the Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish through books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community. Mockingbird funds are distributed twice per year through a two-tiered application process that is one of the most competitive in the country, able to fund fewer than one percent (1%) of the initial inquiries received. The process has so far provided 150 grants, in 36 states, totalling $500,134.
The second edition of The Phish Companion (the Foundation’s 928-page authoritative encyclopedia) is available from major book outlets nationwide. The Foundation’s double-disc tribute album Sharin’ in the Groove is available in CD format through Amazon, CDBaby.com, and Homegrown Music Network, as well as in digital format from nugs.net/livedownloads.com, iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, BuyMusic, MusicMatch, Sony Connect, MusicIsHere, Liquid Digital Media, PassAlong, MusicNet, Puretracks, MusicNow, and LoudEye! For more information about Mockingbird, or to make a donation, please visit www.mbird.org.
Phish is a rock band that started in 1983 and has not performed since August 15, 2004, then deemed its final show. For more information about Phish, please visit the official Phish.com and the fan-managed Phish.net.
The Mockingbird Foundation has announced a series of efforts to support disaster victims and help restore music education programs affected by hurricanes in the last eighteen months. The efforts include at least four different components, and constitute nearly $15,000 in contributions, including support for damaged music programs, adversely affected musicians, and hungry refugees, and includes direct financial contributions, financial support for direct aid, and indirect support through the LivePhish program.
The major thrust is in $6,000 from the Foundation’s Emergency Grants Fund, which provides nominal donations to music education programs affected by disasters. These contributions are not large enough to resolve the problems they target*, but aim to help bring attention to their recipients’ unique needs and to remind potential donors about the importance of music and education in the lives of underage disaster victims. Grants of $500 each will be issued to twelve (12) Florida beneficiaries affected by hurricanes Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, and Charlie in 2004: Gifford Middle School in Indian River; the Cultural Arts Center in Volusia; Hardee County Schools; The Guatemalan Maya Center Escuelita and the African American Art & Music Center in Palm Beach County; Pinewood Elementary School, Stuart Middle School, and South Fork High School Band in Martin County; and Punta Gorda Middle School, Port Charlotte Middle School, Port Charlotte High, and the Charlotte Local Education Foundation in Charlotte County. (The Mockingbird Foundation is actively seeking other music education programs adversely affected by those four hurricanes, particularly in Escambia, Navarre, Pensacola, Melbourne, and/or Polk County, FL, as well as music education programs affected by hurricane Katrina last month in Louisianna, Mississippi, and/or Alabama.)
The Foundation has also extended support to victims of Katrina directly, through a $5,000 grant to Conscious Alliance to support food acquisition and distribition. The Conscious Alliance organizes food drives nationally at concerts, music festivals, and sporting events to benefit local food pantries and impoverished Indian Reservations across the western United States. Conscious Alliance is dedicating their current efforts to providing relief to victims of Katrina, having delivered over 17,500 lbs of food to the Astrodome evacuees via the Houston Food Bank as well as food to the evacuees stranded in various hotels in the Houston area. The Foundation encourages fans to support Conscious Alliance, as well as similar groups such as Panic Fans For Food, who collected and donated 11,000 lbs of food for disaster relief and over $3,000.00 from fans on Fall Tour and at non show food drives held throughout the country.
The Foundation also announced $3,000 to several groups who are working to meet specific needs of musicians affected by Katrina, through $500 donations to Backbeat Fund, Katrina’s Piano Fund, Jazz Foundation, Preservation Hall’s New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund, Tianna Hall’s NOAH Leans program (administered by the Musicians Benevolent Society of Houston), and New Orlean’s Musicians’ Clinic (founded by Page’s dad Dr. Jack McConnell). The Foundation recommends contributing to any of these groups, as well as supporting groups such as the National Education Association’s disaster relief to New Orleans.
The Foundation also is participating in New Orleans Relief, a release of Phish’s 4/26/96 performance at the 27th annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (“Jazzfest”), including guest appearances by Michael Ray, Colonel Bruce Hampton, and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. A portion of the proceeds from all LivePhish releases is donated to the Mockingbird Foundation. However, the Foundation has elected to donate back its proceeds from this release in support of the Tipitina’s Foundation drive to support musicians affected by Katrina, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation’s Raisin’ The Roof program that builds affordable housing for New Orleans musicians, and 2nd Line Parades.
(The 4/26/96 show took place just weeks before the Mockingbird Foundation was first conceived, and less than a year before the Foundation was incorporated. The mid-set 2001 was, at the time, a revelation in terms of set placement. The “YEM” vocal jam led into an a cappella introduction to “Wolfman’s Brother,” an early attempt to do something out of the ordinary with that song. And of course the general historical importance of Phish’s one and only appearance at Jazzfest, though in the Phish world that’s trumped by the general historical importance of Phish getting banned from a venue because of the perceived negative impacts of its unwieldy fanbase upon a host community. Red Rocks would follow in two months.)
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The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Since its inception in 1996, the Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish through books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community. Funds are distributed through a two-tiered application process that is one of the most competitive in the country and that has so far resulted in over 120 grants, in 33 states, totaling nearly $420,000.
The second edition of The Phish Companion (the Foundation’s 928-page authoritative encyclopedia) is available from major book outlets nationwide. Its double-disc tribute album Sharin’ in the Groove is available in CD format through Amazon, CDBaby.com, and Homegrown Music Network, as well as in digital format from nugs.net/livedownloads.com, iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, BuyMusic, MusicMatch, Sony Connect, MusicIsHere, Liquid Digital Media, PassAlong, MusicNet, Puretracks, MusicNow, and LoudEye! For more information about Mockingbird, or to make a donation, please visit www.mbird.org.
Phish was a rock band that started in 1983 and performed its last show on August 15, 2004. For more information about Phish, please visit http://www.phish.com.
The Mockingbird Foundation today announced thirteen new grants, totalling $54,000 and including the 100th grant made since the Foundation’s start. The grants in this, the ninth round of competitive grants from the Foundation, will support diverse music programs throughout the U.S., including:
- Arts Council for Chautauqua County, Jamestown, NY
- Beethoven & Ohrenberger Elem Schools, West Roxbury, MA
- Casey Community Learning Center, Boulder, CO
- Excelsus Music Collaborators, Long Beach, CA
- Hattie B. Cooper Community Center, Roxbury, MA
- Noble Street Charter High School, Chicago, IL
- Project STEP, Inc., Boston, MA
- Talcott Mountain Science Center, Avon CT
- Umyuartuyaaraq, Akiak, AK
- U of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, OH
- Valley Youth Orchestras Association, Northridge, CA
- Vermont MIDI Project, Essex Junction, VT
- Woodbrige HS Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge VA
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. The Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff, since its inception in 1996. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish, through comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community. The second edition of The Phish Companion – the Foundation’s 928-page authoritative encyclopedia – is available from major book outlets as well as through www.mbird.org.
Phish was a rock band that started in 1983 and performed its final show in August 2004. For more information about Phish, see http://www.phish.com.
Why didn’t you wait until after Coventry? — No one saw the breakup coming, and we were caught as off-guard as everyone else. Unfortunately, we were contractually obligated at the time to deliver TPC2, and the end of Phish did nothing to change that. Fortunately, we were all thrilled enough with the new content and sweeping improvements made to feel more than comfortable going to print.
This works out well: You can have the most complete and accurate book about Phish (four years newer than anything else around, and with thousands of updates) in hand for the final shows. Besides, you get 900 pages and 4.20 pounds of information for only 16 bucks from amazon, a good chunk of which goes to music education. That’s a deal!
When will the next edition be out? — That depends on many factors. However, it’s safe to assume that it will be be at least a few more years. Meanwhile, if completeness matters to you, TPC2 is newer, more complete, and more accurate than the alternatives, including the first edition. If you don’t have a Phish book yet, don’t wait – and if you only have an earlier one, you won’t want to continue to rely on its outdated information.
Besides, we’re talking about a Phish encyclopedia of biblical proportions, whose proceeds support music education for children – altogether, a worthwhile expenditure. Buying the book is good for you, good for the kids, and good for everyone’s future. How many other books have that level of important? 
We’re confident that you’ll enjoy and appreciate the purchase, and we know that the kids you support will!
Won’t it just have 13 more setlists? — Heavens, no! TPC2 added far more than just the Phish shows that happened since TPC1, including hundreds of side shows, dozens of song histories, scores of dictionary entries, new essays and interviews, new photos and graphs, even new kinds of content, such as a topical index to Phish lyrics, a quotation collage of the band talking about the hiatus (the first time they separated), and forewords by Phish’s own music teachers, reminding you how important your purchase is to future generations.
TPC3 will represent at least that much of a leap forward, and possibly more and further. We can’t anticipate what the book will do in its next edition, because we can’t anticipate what Phish and its members will do next. That’s one of the things we’ve always loved about them, and always will.
But meanwhile, don’t miss the big leap that is TPC2
TWO PHAN GROUPS RAISE OVER $500,000!
[Saratoga Springs, NY; and Maryland Heights, MO] – Two groups of Phish fans have raised more than a half million dollars for charity, according to a joint statement issued today from the Mimi Fishman Foundation and the Mockingbird Foundation. The funds include competitive grants, emergency disbursements, discretionary contributions, and targeted fundraising.
“We’re excited at reaching this mark,” according to David Shulman, executive director of the Mimi Fishman Foundation. “I must say, when we first began I never imagined we would have this type of impact. It’s truly amazing. We are deeply grateful for the support given by those that have donated items for our charity auctions, and of course those that bid on those items.”
“Phish may be ending, but our work has just begun,” said to Ellis Godard, executive director of the Mockingbird Foundation. “Each of these organizations has worked for many years to develop a unique approach, a stable authority structure, and an ongoing revenue stream. That puts them in a strong position to continue to do the good deeds we’ve accomplished so far.”
The Mimi Fishman Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1999 by Miriam “Mimi” Fishman (the late mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) and David Shulman as a vehicle to raise funds for various charities, including The American Glaucoma Society, Colorado’s Boulder County Safehouse, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Evangelical Children’s Home, Healing the Children, The Solace House and The Delta Gamma Center for the Visually Impaired. The Foundation operates a variety of fundraising techniques, including a series of online charity auctions featuring ticket/pass packages, autographed posters, and other merchandise donated by Phish and other jambands; and several benefit concerts, including the “Tribute to Mimi” in Syracuse, New York.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Conceived in 1996, and founded in 1997, the Foundation is operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish. Its comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community have raised more than $250K and funded scores of grants so far. The Foundation has just released a second edition of The Phish Companion and will announce its next round of grant recipients in October.
Both Foundations are operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff, and keep their administrative expenses remarkably small. The projects of each group are operated out of our love for Mimi and Phish, and every person that benefits from what they do.
Phish is a rock band from Burlington, VT. They began on December 2, 1983, became one of the highest grossing and most beloved touring acts in history, and will perform their final show on August 15, 2004, in Coventry, VT. The band’s net proceeds from its livephish.com music distribution service are donated to the Mockingbird Foundation.
MBIRD RELEASES ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, MANAGEMENT CHANGES
New President, New Board Member, New Committees, & more
Organizational Chart[Saratoga Springs, NY] – The Mockingbird Foundation today released an organizational chart which both codifies and formalizes the relationships among its constituent offices and working groups, including a half dozen important management changes which the Foundation announced simultaneously. The chart is intended to serve internal purposes, such as clarifying the organizational structure beyond Phish’s breakup, as well as external purposes, such as enunciating the careful design of authority and responsibility within the organization.
“This Foundation is run by dozens of fans, through a half dozen working groups, and a decade of informal patterns of authority and responsibility in conjunction with the formal structure,” said Executive Director Ellis Godard. “This chart identifies those relationships, so that the Foundation’s administration is as clear as its mission.”
The charted structure distinguishes between three working aspects of the Foundation:
* Directors of Operations manage grant applications, Internet presence, volunteer efforts, media relations, and artistic branding, and are filled on an ongoing basis by board approval or appointment.
* Directors of Special Projects manage Foundation flyers, events, albums, and merchandise, and are approved or appointed by the board on a case-by-case basis.
* Ongoing Projects currently include The Phish Companion, but may soon include additional projects that are still maturing and of which the status (ongoing vs. special) is therefore not yet certain.
The chart also reflects important separations of duty in the Foundation’s administration, website, and book.
* Dan Hantman has been named as the new President of the Board. His role will, among other things, include consensus-building within and direction from the Board to other offices and operating bodies of the Foundation. The role of President has been separated from that of Executive Director of the Foundation, a position which Ellis Godard will continue to fill. The Executive Director’s authority and responsibility has been narrowed to Operational aspects of the Foundation, while the Executive Committee will now take on oversight and development of Ongoing and Special Projects.
* Dan Hantman, who has been the Foundation’s webmaster since its inception, will also now serve as an Internet Liaison from the board to the new webmaster, Julia Mordaunt, who also designs and maintains the Mimi Fishman Foundation website and an important archive of articles about Phish (phisharchive.com).
* For The Phish Companion, a division of labor between administrative and production issues utilized for the second edition has been formalized as Executive Editor and Managing Editor in order to provide clarity as the Foundation begins plans for the third edition.
The chart also includes two important additions to the organization’s structure, both of which codify relationships with external volunteers.
* The first addition, conceived at a board meeting 1/3/02 and so currently titled the Hampton Committee, will review feedback to the second edition of The Phish Companion and advise the Managing Editor on production issues, just as the Literary Agent advises the Executive Editor on adminstrative issues.
* The second addition, announced last week, is an Advisory Panel of Phish luminaries and professional colleagues who support the Foundation and are willing to provide advice on certain issues as needs arise.
Additionally, Jim Raras has accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors, bringing the size of the current board to 12. Jim has worked mightily on both editions of the book, and has provided important guidance and insight on several related aspects of Foundation activities. In addition to the development of new Special and Ongoing Projects, the Foundation board anticipates continuing its organizational development on an ongoing basis, including the re-engagement of emeritus directors over the next six months.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Conceived in 1996, and founded in 1997, the Foundation is operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish. Its comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community have raised more than $250K and funded scores of grants so far. The Foundation will release a second edition of The Phish Companion this summer, and will announce its next round of grant recipients in October.
Phish is a rock band from Burlington, VT. They began on December 2, 1983; became one of the highest grossing and most beloved touring acts in history; and will perform their final show on August 15, 2004, in Coventry, VT. The band’s net proceeds from its livephish.com music distribution service are donated to the Mockingbird Foundation.
The board of the Mockingbird Foundation announced today that it has assembled a group of Phish luminaries and professional colleagues who will serve as advisors to the Foundation’s board, officers, and operating committees. The fourteen members of the new Advisory Panel will help, on an individual basis, guide and inform the Foundation going forward, to ensure that its efforts and successes continue well after Phish’s career as a band ends.
The members were selected based on their ability to provide expertise in specific areas, including fundraising, grantmaking, project development, product development, public relations, and fan interests. Their affiliations include band management and staff, fan resources and publications, and other nonprofit and charitable efforts, including representatives from each recipient of the Mimi Fishman Award for community service, given annually at the Jammy Awards. (The Mockingbird Foundation was the first recipient of that award.)
The members of the Mockingbird Advisory Panel are:
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Many of these individuals have provided significant behind-the-scenes support to the Foundation in the past. Each has expressed a willingness to share suggestions and recommendations to help shape and maintain the Foundation’s efforts.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Conceived in 1996, and founded in 1997, the Foundation is operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish. Its comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community have raised more than $250K and funded scores of grants so far. The Foundation will release a second edition of The Phish Companion this summer, will announce its next round of grant recipients in October, and will announce some important management changes in one week.
Phish is a rock band from Burlington, VT. They began on December 2, 1983; became one of the highest grossing and most beloved touring acts in history; and will perform their final show on August 15, 2004, in Coventry, VT. The band’s net proceeds from its livephish.com music distribution service are donated to the Mockingbird Foundation.
The Mockingbird Foundation has announced the establishment of the DeLucia Award for Innovation in Music Education. Named for Mockingbird founder Craig DeLucia, the awards will acknowledge outstanding contributions of a creative nature. They will be given to at least one and not more than five individuals each year, recognizing achievements during at least the previous calendar year. Additionally, one of each year’s DeLucia Award recipients will receive the DeLucia Prize, a monetary complement in the amount of $1,000 for at least the first three years.
Befitting the far-reaching impacts that Craig DeLucia’s own interests and innovations have rendered, the recipient(s) of the DeLucia Awards will have demonstrated a passion for music through the use of unconventional genres, methods, instruments, environments, and/or other aspects of music education. As judged by the awards committee, the recipient(s) should have accomplished something which effectively developed musical abilities, made efficient use of available resources, could be replicated in other settings, and might inspire others to seek, provide, and/or support music education.
The first award recipient(s) will be selected by the Foundation board, who will then devise an awards committee for future years. That committee is anticipated to draw from the Foundation’s advisory panel, representatives of several national music education associations, and past recipients of the award.
Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis, beginning immediately, to daime@mbird.org. Nominations consist of an email identifying the nominator, the nominee, their relationship, and the nominee’s fit with the criteria specified above. Fax, postal, and other hardcopy submissions are not accepted. Email attachments should not exceed one megabyte (1MB) total per nomination. Web addresses (URLs) of supporting materials are encouraged.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Conceived in 1996, and founded in 1997, the Foundation is operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish. Its comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community have raised more than $250K and funded scores of grants so far. The Foundation will release a second edition of The Phish Companion in the coming weeks, and will announce its next round of grant recipients in October.
Phish is a rock band from Burlington, VT. They began on December 2, 1983, became one of the highest grossing and most beloved touring acts in history, and will perform their final [sic] show on August 15, 2004, in Coventry, VT. The band’s net proceeds from its LivePhish.com music distribution service are donated to the Mockingbird Foundation.
