2020 Georgia Music Grants Total Nearly $100,000
The Georgia Music Grant to Lyman Hall Elementary School in Gainesville funds a residency with music teacher Dana Rice. (Photo by Austin Steele)
In early 2020, the Georgia Music Foundation awarded $99,615 in Georgia Music Grants to more than 20 schools and non-profit organizations for projects taking place this year. Established in 2015, the Georgia Music Grant supports music education, preservation and outreach programs around the state.
Among the projects funded in 2020 was “Electrify the Britt” a two-day chorus workshop led by Emmy-nominated singer, songwriter and vocal coach Laura Kaye and dancer/choreographer Nathan Blake at W. C. Britt Elementary School in Snellville. Last July, music teacher and tuba player Nicole Guimaraes was among the more than 600 music educators attending the 2019 Modern Band Summit, hosted by the national Little Kids Rock organization in Fort Collins, Colorado. “As I listened to Laura describe her ‘Electrify Your Choir’ program during her opening keynote,” Guimaraes said, “I immediately knew I had to introduce it and her to my chorus students at W.C. Britt Elementary School.” Guimaraes applied for the Georgia Music Grant, was approved and on Thursday, March 6, Laura Kaye and Nathan Blake led Britt students through a five-hour workshop, culminating the following day with a dress rehearsal and Friday night concert for parents, family, staff and community members.
The full list of Georgia Music Grant recipients for projects taking place in 2020 include:
Atlanta Music Project for the AMP After-School Orchestra program
Auburn Public Library in Auburn for the Toddling into Music program
Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta for The Music Clubhouse at A. Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club
Centerville Elementary School in Centerville for its Music Classroom
Charles R. Drew Charter School for its Harp program
Columbus Symphony Orchestra for Making Music Matters: After-School Music Instruction program
George Walton Academy in Monroe for Acoustic Shells project
Georgia 4-H based in Athens for the Georgia 4-H Clovers and Company program
Gracewood Elementary School in Augusta for World Music Project
Henry for Music for its Youth Orchestra United program
Huntley Hills Elementary School PTA in Chamblee for the Building Confidence & Inclusion Through Music program
Langston Chapel Middle School in Statesboro for Music Appreciation Enhancement & Choral Music program
Lanier County Middle School in Lakeland for Musical Instruments
Liberty Middle School in Covington for Music: An Ever-Changing Mix of Business Models project
Lyman Hall Elementary School in Gainesville for the Big Dreams Teaching Artist Residency
Nuci Phillips Memorial Foundation in Athens for Nuci’s Space 2020 Youth Outreach programs
Savannah Music Festival for Musical Explorers program
Savannah Philharmonic Corporation for The Link Up Young Person’s Concerts
Urban Youth Harp Ensemble in East Point for the Main Street Academy After School Harp Program
Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus for the Chamber Group program
The 2020 Georgia Music Grant application cycle for projects taking place in 2021 has been postponed until September 2020. Updated information will be available at georgiamusicfoundation.org in late August 2020 following the start of the school year.