January 7, 2008

For Immediate Release Contact:

Russell Jones

Interim Vice President for Communications

League of American Orchestras

646-822-4081

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League of American Orchestras to Honor the Mobile Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic Association with Bank of America Awards for Excellence in Orchestra Education

New York, NY—The League of American Orchestras announced today that the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, CA and the Mobile Symphony, AL have each been awarded a Bank of America Award for Excellence in Orchestra Education. The 2007 Bank of America Awards honor excellence in programs in which orchestras partner with elementary schools to provide music education programs for underserved children. Additionally, the awards help the League to identify best practices in the orchestra field and to share information with its membership about outstanding orchestra education programs. Through a generous grant from Bank of America, each of the honored orchestras will receive an award of $7,500.

“Both orchestras represent best practices in orchestra education programs, and we are pleased to honor the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Mobile Symphony for the important work that they have accomplished in this growing area of orchestra activity,” said Polly Kahn, the League’s Vice President for Learning and Leadership Development.

2007 Bank of America Award Guidelines

To be eligible to win an award, the programs submitted must have been in operation for at least three years. The successful orchestras have demonstrated a deep commitment to arts education and a sustainable relationship with partners in the community. This year the program honored partnerships with elementary schools, with program features including:

· no fewer than five classes involved

· no fewer than six in-school events per class per year, including workshops, classes, and performances

· at least one event involving the whole orchestra

· professional development for teachers and musicians

· clearly defined goals and evidence of success

The winners of the 2007 Bank of America Awards for Excellence in Orchestra Education will be recognized at the League’s annual National Conference as part of the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver, Colorado in June, 2008.

About the 2007 Bank of America Award Winners:

Los Angeles Philharmonic Association’s “Elementary School Partners Program”

Elsje Kibler Vermaas, Manager, Children’s Programs

The Elementary School Partners Program (SPP) is a long-term, intensive collaboration by the Los Angeles Philharmonic with selected public schools in Los Angeles. The SPP provides artist residencies that address multiple learning styles, as well as professional development for the teachers in these schools and workshops for parents. Another element of the program is free attendance at one of the Philharmonic’s four February Symphony for Schools concerts, which are designed specifically for elementary school students. The Adopt-A-Player component of the SPP matches Philharmonic musicians with selected schools, building a long-term relationship. The SPP was launched in the 2001-02 season with five schools participating. By the 2007-08 season it had grown to include 2,600 public school children and 104 participating classroom teachers in grades 3-6 from 23 schools throughout Los Angeles. SSP demographics closely mirror the student population of the Los Angeles Unified School District: 70% of the participating children are from poverty-level families, 75% receive free or subsidized meals, and 42% are English-language learners.

Mobile Symphony’s “Preludes”

Sarah Wright, Education Director

Begun in 1999 with the participation of three public elementary schools, Preludes currently serves 7,000 first- through fifth-grade students in ten elementary schools, six of them in Mobile and four in suburban Baldwin County. The program provides weekly music classes for 1,250 students in grades one and two; weekly string classes for 150 students in grades three to five; in-school performances by a string quartet for 5,000 students in grades K through five; Young People’s Concerts attended by 500 students each year in grades K through eight; and a Big Red Ticket program that allows participating students to attend a Mobile Symphony concert for free when accompanied by a family member. Students in the participating schools range from 9 to 88 percent minority, and the percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch ranges from 11 to 92 percent.

To read about past Bank of America Award winners, visit http://www.americanorchestras.org/images/stories/resource_papers/beyondtradition.pdf .

League of American Orchestras

Founded in 1942, and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League of American Orchestras leads, encourages, and supports America’s orchestras while communicating to the public the essential value and cultural importance of orchestras in their communities and the vitality of the music they perform. The League provides a wealth of services, meaningful information, learning and leadership opportunities, and grassroots advocacy to its diverse membership, which encompasses nearly 1,000 member symphony, chamber, youth, and collegiate orchestras of all sizes, and links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers, board members, volunteers, staff members, and business partners. Visit www.americanorchestras.org to learn more.