Red Hill music department is awarded $25,000 from the Glee Give a Note Campaign | Arts & Culture

A major gift has been awarded to a southern Illinois school's music program.  They've earned a first prize award in the Glee Give a Note Foundation campaign that will help provide much needed funds.

The Red Hill Music Department consists of band and choir for students from fifth grade through senior in high school.  The department currently has over 260 students who participate in the program.  The students participate in parades, concerts, programs, athletic events, and contests throughout the state.  The department is under the direction of instructors Kent Ingrum and Ellen Wall.

The instructors submitted a video to the Glee Give a Note in early October along with approximately 500 other schools (watch their video here).

There was nationwide online voting for all of these videos.  The word was spread and students had friends and family voting throughout the United States and several foreign countries.  The video was 91st  (5th in the state of Illinois) in the online voting which moved Red Hill on in the process to be judged by officials from the National Association for Music Education.

On Thursday December 15, Principal Todd Tiffany was contacted by the NAfME and notified that the music department had been awarded one of the ten $25,000 awards given nationwide.  Music department students were brought together that afternoon to unveil the news (watch him reveal the prize here).

The National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. 

In June 2011, NAfME launched its newest initiative —Give a Note Foundation, a social advocacy organization dedicated to bringing renewal to America’s embattled music education programs.  The mission to expand and increase music education opportunities for all children, especially those in low-wealth and underserved areas of America. 

NAfME, in coordination with its new Give a Note Foundation, partnered with Twentieth Century FOX Home Entertainment to create the Glee Give a Note campaign.  The campaign was created to bring attention to the importance of music education in schools and also to help provide funding to school music programs in need.  The $1 million was funded through sales of the Glee DVDs – $1 of each DVD sold went toward the $1,000,000.  The Glee Give a Note contest began on September 6, inviting eligible schools to submit videos about why their school was in need of a music education grant at www.GleeGiveANote.com. 

After a public voting period, videos were evaluated by teams of NAfME music educators.  Criteria included relevance to music education, emotional and inspirational appeal, demonstrated financial need, and public voting.   

• 492 Schools across America submitted videos. Videos of winning schools can be seen at www.gleegiveanote.com. 
• Over two million votes were cast for videos
• The $1 million will be awarded in these increments:
  • 3 Schools will win the Grand Prize of $50,000 (for a total of $150,000)
  • 10 Schools will win 1st Prize of $25,000 (for a total of $250,000)
  • 60 Schools will win 2nd Prize of $10,000 (for a total of $60,000)
    • =73 Prizes totaling $1 million