Civic Music Association Receives Grant from Phish Fans Funds to Support Young Musicians in Our Community

Milwaukee, WI, May 11, 2017 --(PR.com)-- The Civic Music Association of Milwaukee (CMA) just received an $8,000 grant to help fund their music education and performance opportunities for young musicians in the greater Milwaukee area.

The Mockingbird Foundation - a volunteer group of Phish fans, is delivering the initial funds for this grant. The value of the grant was matched by the Kristy Anastasio Manning Memorial Fund which was started in memorial of the late sister of the lead guitarist of Phish, Trey Anastasio, and was doubled by the band’s own Waterwheel Foundation.

This grant will support scholarships for young instrumentalists and vocalists to take part in a variety of unique opportunities to refine their skills and practice their craft through private lessons, auditions, workshops, competition, and performance. Last year, CMA reached over 1,000 young musicians in the Milwaukee community and more than 95% of their programming involves students 18 years old or younger.

“The value of arts education in promoting high achievement in all academic areas is well documented, but the need for serious music students to develop their skills through live performance before an audience, and to gain poise through solo audition and competition is often overlooked,” said Nancy Herro, Executive Director of the CMA. “This grant helps talented young musicians to pursue the next level of musicianship by providing unique performance opportunities and recognition of their accomplishments at a critical time in their growth and development.”

The Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer nonprofit founded and run entirely by Phish fans, has announced the grant for the CMA as one of twelve new grants totaling $81,000 in support of music education for children. The grants come from Mockingbird’s 21st round of competitive grant-making, include support from several band-related charities, and bring the Foundation's total disbursements to more than $1.1M.

These twelve grantees were selected from among more than 955 initial applicants who requested a total of more than $2.5 million, far beyond the Foundation's resources. Due to such high demand, Mockingbird's two-tiered online application process remains one of the most competitive in the nation. Each year, they are able to fund a slightly higher percentage of inquiries, making grants slightly less competitive, thanks to the tremendous generosity of fans.

About The Civic Music Association of Milwaukee
As one of Milwaukee’s oldest arts organizations, Civic Music Association of Milwaukee has been active in developing the musical life of its community since 1918. Its mission is to provide and support music education to young musicians in the greater Milwaukee area. Its vision is that all young people are given the opportunity to experience the joy of making music.

About The Mockingbird Foundation
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music, having cultivated intellectual property through phish.net since 1994. A leading grantmaker in music education for children, the Foundation has now made 326 grants, in all 50 states, totaling over $1,100,000. Proceeds are generated by celebrating the music of Phish through comprehensive books, innovative recordings, special art prints, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community. The Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff, since its inception in 1996.

About Phish
Phish first formed in 1983 at Goddard College in Vermont, and developed a large and fervent fanbase through tireless touring and unpredictable, kinetic live performances. For more information about Phish, see the official Phish.com or Mockingbird’s own fan-run Phish.net.
Contact
Civic Music Association of Milwaukee
Nancy Herro
414-483-3223
www.civicmusicmilwaukee.org
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