An all-volunteer group of Phish fans today announced that it is awarding seven new grants, totaling $25,980, to support music education for children. This twelfth round of competitive grants from the Mockingbird Foundation will support diverse programs throughout the U.S., including:
- Cleveland School (Santa Barbara, CA) to bring Kid Pan Alley professionals to an underserved, primarily Latino/Hispanic elementary school to engage students in songwriting
- Concordia University (St. Paul, MN) for instruction, sheet music, and instruments hand-made by Hmong elders as part of a K-12 language and culture program for refugees
- Evergreen Elementary School (Fort Lewis, WA) for 3/4 of the budget of a Making Music Fit the Child program for special needs children of enlisted soldiers
- Kuumbwa Jazz Society (Santa Cruz, CA) for salaries and scholarships for a summer jazz camp at one of the first non-profit jazz organizations in the country
- Paris Middle School (Paris, KY) for a digital piano and related supplies to a national heritage program for urban fifth graders
- Vail Elementary School (Temecula, CA) for professional instruction costs to help restore an instrumental program axed through budget cuts
- Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls (New York, NY) for full scholarships to five girls from low-income households to attend the 2008 summer program
Each of these grants adds critical support for an important and innovative program in music education for children. Several fund new programs, and all target underserved students, cultures, communities, and/or musical genres. The Foundation has now made 175 grants in 36 states, totaling $557,914.40, and will continue announcing new grants for years to come.
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.
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 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 final show on August 15, 2004. For more information about Phish, please visit http://www.phish.com.