Concert celebrates Pioneer GRAMMY, first school to receive national honor twice

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Casey Hans

Special GRAMMY Presentation Concert

Michael Daugherty

What: A free concert of the Pioneer High School music programs to celebrate Pioneer’s 2011 National GRAMMY Signature School Award.
When: 8 p.m., Thursday, May 26.
Where: Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan Campus, 825 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor.
Who: The award to Pioneer will be presented by these two special guests:

Michael Daugherty, GRAMMY-winning contemporary classical composer, University of Michigan professor and father of a former Pioneer music student.
Local entertainment attorney Howard Hertz, a member of the Chicago chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (Grammy Awards) Board of Governors and adjunct professor of law at U-M and Wayne State University.

From AAPSNews Service

Ann Arbor Pioneer High School has earned its second National GRAMMY Signature School Award from The GRAMMY Foundation – the first time any school has been given the top award twice, according to Pioneer Performing Arts Department Chairman David Leach.

“We have a community that really embraces the arts and arts education,” said Leach, who also serves as Pioneer’s band director. “One of the reasons we’re in the GRAMMYs is that we have such a rich program.” He noted that arts education gets strong support from the Ann Arbor Public Schools leadership and that being in the University of Michigan’s back yard is also a huge asset.

Leach said he is exceptionally proud of Pioneer and its music program, especially as it was considered for this year’s award. “All of the schools competing, they’re really fine programs,” he said. “To see these great programs for years and to know we’re right up there with them is humbling.”

A special, free concert for the community to celebrate the 2011 National GRAMMY Signature School Award honor will take place at 8 p.m., Thursday, May 26 at Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus. Musical groups from the entire department will perform and the GRAMMY award will be presented that evening.

Leach said he is hopeful many from the community will come to hear the free concert and is hoping to get upwards of 1,500 attending to help the Ann Arbor Public Schools and the Pioneer community celebrate.

Pioneer will receive a prize of $15,000 to enhance its music program. Leach said individual programs at the school will share in the prize, but that it also will support a new Music Theory AP class and the music program’s Theory and Technology class.

Created in 1998, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year. A total of 36 schools were named 2011 GRAMMY Signature Schools. The top seven schools were designated Gold recipients and the best of the Gold recipients is named the National GRAMMY Signature School; this year that honor went to Pioneer.

The first time the school received the honor was in 2006.

‘It’s a work of passion when we’re all together. We try to keep the passion and mold it into something of a high caliber. We want our kids to strive to be great musicians.’

– David Leach

“We are proud of these very dedicated student musicians and their excellent music instructors,” said AAPS Fine Arts Coordinator Robin Bailey. In addition to Leach, instructors include: Jonathan Glawe, Orchestra; Steve Lorenz, Choir; Nancy Waring, Band/Music Theory and Technology; and Rochelle Martinez, Piano and Guitar.

Parent David Baum is co-vice president of the Pioneer Band Association. His son, Alex, is a senior who plays clarinet in the Pioneer Symphony Band and was drum major in the 2010 Pioneer Marching Band. Son Aaron, a sophomore, is a trumpet player in the Pioneer Symphony Band.

“My own two boys have benefited immensely from their years playing in the Pioneer High School bands,” Baum said. The GRAMMY award “underscores what I’ve said countless time to friends with children coming up through schools in Ann Arbor: The Pioneer music program is reason enough, by itself, to send their children to school there.”

Leach said one of the reasons Pioneer is often at or near the top of the GRAMMY awards list is that an original student composition is featured as part of the school’s submission. This year, that composition will be performed at the celebratory concert.

“It’s a work of passion when we’re all together,” Leach said of Pioneer’s program. “We try to keep the passion and mold it into something of a high caliber. We want our kids to strive to be great musicians.”

When Pioneer won the 2006 National GRAMMY Signature School Award, local rock musician and Pioneer alum Bob Seger was on hand to present the award. This year, award-winning composer and U-M professor Michael Daugherty – also a Pioneer parent – and entertainment attorney Howard Hertz will do the honors, Leach said.

Since 2002, Pioneer has been named a GRAMMY Signature School six times. Of those, the school received GRAMMY Gold Signature School status five times and, of those, has earned the coveted top prize twice. Pioneer has received $31,500 in GRAMMY awards, not counting this year’s $15,000 prize.

Leach noted that despite two major directorship changes in Pioneer’s music program since 2006, it continues to shine. “We have great clay,” he said. “Our kids come up with excellent skills. It’s a continuation of a journey they began in elementary school here.”

In addition to the GRAMMY announcement, the Ann Arbor Public Schools is among 172 districts in the country selected this month as one of the best in music education by the nonprofit National Association of Music Makers Foundation in its 12th annual “Best Communities for Music Education” survey.

The survey acknowledges districts across the U.S. for their “unwavering commitment” to music education, NAMM said in releasing the results. Districts were measured across curricular and programmatic criteria as well as public support of their music programs. The survey was developed and administered by The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service, an affiliate of the University of Kansas.

View a complete list of winning school districts at www.nammfoundation.org

School Bells: Pioneer High earns top GRAMMY Signature award

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Casey Hans

Pioneer High School has been designated as the 2011 National GRAMMY Foundation Signature School. The GRAMMY Foundation announced 36 schools nationwide selected as GRAMMY Signature Schools for 2011, with Pioneer earning the top award.

The announcement was made by the GRAMMY Foundation, according to Robin Bailey, fine arts coordinator for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Pioneer will receive $15,000 for the honor.

“We are proud of these very dedicated student musicians and their excellent music instructors,” she said. The instructors include: David Leach, Performing Arts Department chairman; Jonathan Glawe, Orchestra; Steve Lorenz, Choir; Nancy Waring, Band/Music Theory and Technology; and Rochelle Martinez, Piano and Guitar.

A concert honoring these Pioneer students and music staff will be at 8 p.m. May 26 at Hill Auditorium.

Created in 1998, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year.

Each of the 36 GRAMMY Signature Schools will receive a custom award and a monetary grant. The top seven schools are designated Gold recipients. The best of the Gold recipients is named the National GRAMMY Signature School, which is the award Pioneer received.

Home building students earn first place at state SkillsUSA

The Ann Arbor Student Home Building Industries Program is home to the State champion gold medal winning builders. Ann Arbor students placed first in the SkillsUSA “TEAMWORKS” competition in Lansing over the weekend of April 16-17 and will go on to compete at the National level in Kansas City in late June.

The winning team from Huron High School. (Photo courtesy, John Birko)

Winning Huron High School seniors on the team included: Aaron Wyse, general contractor and mason; Jose Tavarez, carpenter; Sergie Aviles, electrician; and Dillon Davis, plumber. They won both the presentation and construction portions of the event to take top honors.

The students competed as building contractors to present an extemporaneous business plan and the following day constructed a frame structure with functional plumbing, electrical and masonry components in a seven-hour cooperative effort, according to teacher and program adviser John Birko.

The students were awarded tool prizes and a $1,200 travel voucher from Lowes for their trip to Kansas City.

Recycling event scheduled for May 7

An E-Waste Recycling Event will be hosted on Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pioneer High School. Recycle e-waste such as computer systems, monitors, telephones, cell phones, televisions, speakers, printers, wires/cables, modems plus more at no cost.

This drive-through, drop-off event is co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Office of Campus Sustainability and Apple. Visit a2schools.org for more information including a list of materials accepted.

The Verve Pipe visits Lakewood on Saturday

The Verve Pipe will do a concert at Lakewood Elementary School at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 7l. The band has recently released an album made especially for parents and their kids to share called “The Verve Pipe – A Family Album” which includes such tunes such as “Wake Up”, “Suppertime!”, “Cereal,” and “Be Part of the Band.”

Twenty percent of merchandise pre-ordered before the concert will be donated to Lakewood as a fundraiser, including albums at a cost of $10 each as well as t-shirts purchased. Cost to attend the concert is $10 per person or $35 for a family of four. Tickets will be available at the door.For more information about the Lakewood concert, e-mail Kelly Wang at kwang500@hotmail.com.

Lakewood Elementary is at 344 Gralake, Ann Arbor.

According to the group’s website, the genesis of The Verve Pipe can be traced back to 1990, when Brian Vander Ark and his brother Brad began making names for themselves in Grand Rapids with their band Johnny With An Eye. Drummer Donny Brown, who played in rival band Water From The Pool, eventually joined forces with the Vander Ark brothers and The Verve Pipe was born.

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Forty four students from the Personal Fitness classes at Community High School ran in this year's Burns Park Run on Sunday, May 1. Two Community students, Hannah Bogard and Galen Burrell, were overall female and male winners in the 5K. and many placed in their age group. Every runner who crossed the finish line, especially the 17 who crossed it after gutting out the 10K (6.2 miles), experienced the thrill of working hard to accomplish a goal that just weeks ago seemed impossible, said teacher Robbie Stapleton.

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Families enjoy a visit from the Easter Bunny at Nicola's Books at the Westgate Shopping Center. Nicola's is a sponsor of the AAPSNews website.

Pioneer High wins Grammy gold, earns $5,000 award

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Casey Hans

Pioneer High School was lauded this week for having one of the top school music programs in the country when the Grammy Foundation selected it as a Grammy Signature Gold School, one of only two in the nation to receive the award.

The group announced Pioneer’s honor as part of its annual “Grammy Signature Schools” program. A total of 12 schools across the nation were honored through the program, with cash awards from $1,000 to $5,000 each.

With the Pioneer award, the foundation has placed the music department as one of the three finest music departments in the nation, said Pioneer Performing Arts Department Chairman and band director David Leach. The award includes a grant of $5,000 to be used to benefit the Pioneer music program. This is Pioneer’s fourth Grammy award.

Leach applauded the Pioneer Music Department staff which includes: choir director Kenneth Westerman; orchestra director Jonathan Glawe; Nancy Waring, associate director of bands, assistant director of the symphony orchestra and Theory and Technology instructor; piano and guitar instructor Rochelle Martinez-Mouilleseaux; and voice instructor Gretchen Suhre.

“You are all the best,” Leach said.

Created in 1998, the Grammy Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year.

“Our commitment to fostering and rewarding excellence in music education at public high schools around the country has never been more important,” said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation. “Throughout the academic year, these schools and their teachers work to share the positive power of music with their students. The resources we provide … strengthen their efforts.”

The selection process begins each fall, when schools apply to be considered. After finalists are identified, they are asked to submit additional documentation, such as recordings of school concerts, sample concert programs and repertoire, which is then reviewed by an independent screening committee to determine the schools that merit Signature School status.

To view more achievements around The Ann Arbor Public Schools, see “This Week” from the Superintendent’s office.