The GRAMMY Foundation® Signature Schools program, recognized the top 22 public schools across the country for outstanding commitment to their music education programs. Determined by a blue-ribbon panel of top music educators and professionals, schools are awarded grants for their music departments. In 2007, Waubonsie Valley High School was among the top 3 schools in the country, which gave it GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold status. In addition to this prestigious award, the GRAMMY Foundation presented a $5000 grant to the school.
The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture — from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of future generations of music professionals. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with The Recording Academy® to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. This is the sixth time the Waubonsie Valley Music Program has received a GRAMMY Foundation award, having been honored the past five years in a row as a GRAMMY Signature School.
For more information, please visit www.grammyintheschools.com
1992-93 & 1993-94 -- IHSA Music Sweepstakes State Champions!
1996-97 -- State Runner-Up 1997-98 -- 4th in State
1998-99 -- 3rd in State 2000-01 -- 5th in State
Music Department Mission Statement:
Music is universal, cultural, and individual. It is with this understanding that the Music Department of Waubonsie Valley High School provides every student with the opportunity to receive a high-quality musical training in school, regardless of grade level, ability level, or background. The goal of this musical training is to help participants achieve a personal level of understanding, appreciation, and passion for music. It is undeniable that music has always been an integral part of human existence. Every culture throughout history carries its own musical traditions. In our culturally diverse society, music is one of the few common threads that links peoples and ideas together. Music education uses the artistic medium of musical sound to give insight into the universal human experience.
Departmental Goals:
- Develop strong musicianship and cultivate aesthetic awareness in the
classroom through the preparation and performance of quality musical
literature.
- Provide co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for all
music students that enhance their musical experience.
- Facilitate opportunities for students seeking musical
self-enrichment.
- Empower students to create their own music through composition,
arranging, and improvisation.
- Create community on all levels: within our classrooms, our
department, our school buildings, and our local population; as well as
within the national and global community.
- Enrich students' appreciation of the musical arts by attending fine
cultural events.
- Create the best possible learning environment for students to pursue
an education in the musical arts.
- Inspire students to become life-long learners and intelligent
consumers of music.
- Address the needs of students seeking a future career in the field of
music.
CODA: "…Our most noble goals are set in the context of awakening all children to the
gift of music and equipping them to use it for a lifetime." Marie McCarthy