FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Greg Wright
Summer Music Programs
(610) 526-6114

Lindsay Ehlers
Harcum College
(610) 526-6196

Bryn Mawr, PA (January 9, 2002)—Summer Music Programs, located at Harcum College since 1993, has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Mockingbird Foundation to offer one-week scholarships to eight young musicians from the Philadelphia public school system. These students will attend Summer Music Programs’ 2002 overnight camp.

The camp places individual musicians aged 11 to 17 in small ensembles to rehearse, perform, record and produce their own CDs. The overnight program will be offered for four weeks starting on July 7; attendance can be weekly and some bands enroll together. Summer Music Programs also offers a day program that will run for eight weeks starting June 17.

It is possible to receive college credit from Harcum College while attending Summer Music Programs. Located in Bryn Mawr, Harcum is a private, two-year college founded in 1915. It offers more than 25 degree and certificate programs, and is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Harcum has flexible day, evening and weekend scheduling to accommodate the needs of its students.

The Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer group of Phish fans, is in its third round of competitive grants, donating more than $170,000 to music education for children. Summer Music Programs is one of eight new grants made by the foundation to fund instruments, instructorships, curriculum development, and professional development for teachers. The grants will benefit low-income, minority, and gifted children worldwide. Projects include instruction in bluegrass, jazz, orchestral, Caribbean, African, Latin American, and Kosovar music.

The Mockingbird Foundation generates funds through the 928-page “Phish Companion” (Backbeat Books) and the double-CD tribute album “Sharin’ in the Groove” (independent) and donates all net proceeds to charity. To enroll in Summer Music Programs, contact Chet Makowski or Greg Wright at 610-526-6114, or log onto: www.summermusicprograms.com. For more information about earning credit at Harcum College, call 610-526-6050 or visit www.harcum.edu. To learn more about the Mockingbird Foundation, visit www.mockingbirdfoundation.org. ###