SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The GRAMMY Foundation® (www.grammyfoundation.com) today announced that 36 schools nationwide have been selected as GRAMMY® Signature Schools (www.grammyintheschools.com) for 2011. 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. GRAMMY Signature Schools are made possible in part through the generous support of Best Buy, Campbell's Labels For Education program, the Ford Motor Company Fund, Gibson Foundation, and the Hot Topic Foundation.

"The GRAMMY Signature Schools program exemplifies the GRAMMY Foundation's commitment to fostering excellence in music education in public high schools," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy® and the GRAMMY Foundation. "With the generous support of our partners, we've been able to grant the largest number of GRAMMY Signature Schools awards in recent history, with 36 public high schools in communities across the United States receiving this recognition. I am especially proud that this year in the Enterprise Award category for economically underserved schools, we have announced the largest number of recipients in the GRAMMY Foundation's history."

Each of the 36 GRAMMY Signature Schools will receive a custom award and a monetary grant to benefit its music program. The top seven schools are designated Gold recipients. The best of the Gold recipients is named the National GRAMMY Signature School. The National GRAMMY Signature School will receive $15,000, and the six remaining Gold schools each will receive $5,500. Two remaining GRAMMY Signature Schools recipients will receive a grant award of $2,500 to benefit their music programs. In the Enterprise Award category, which recognizes efforts made by schools that are economically underserved, 27 schools will receive a grant of $5,500 each.

The selection process for GRAMMY Signature Schools begins each year in August when the GRAMMY Foundation mails notification to more than 20,000 public high schools from districts large and small, urban, suburban and rural, requesting information about each school's music program. Applications are completed and submitted online in October at www.grammyintheschools.com. After the applications are scored, finalists are identified and asked to submit additional documentation, such as recordings of school concerts, sample concert programs and repertoire, which is then reviewed by an independent blue ribbon committee of top music educators and professionals to determine the schools that merit GRAMMY Signature School status.

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 its founder, 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. Campbell's Labels For Education program is proud to be the official education partner of the GRAMMY In The Schools programs. For more information, please visit www.grammyintheschools.com.

SOURCE The Recording Academy