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 [email protected]. 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.