On June 17 at New York’s Steinway Hall, four outstanding high school senior musicians will receive the Music for Youth Foundation’s scholarships for excellence in music. In conjunction with the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA), the Music for Youth Foundation will award $90,000 in scholarship award money to the four musicians–three awards of $25,000 and one of $15,000. The awards are given based on the decisions of a panel of internationally renowned judges, among them jazz luminary Bruce Lundvall, president and CEO of Blue Note Records. The annual awards were created exclusively by the Music for Youth Foundation for the NFAA’s Arts Recognition and Talent Search (ARTS) in an effort to support exceedingly gifted young artists who are pursuing careers in music. MYF and ARTS evaluated and selected 13 semifinalists from a national pool of more than 1,000 candidates in the categories of instrumental music, voice and jazz.
“The Music for Youth Foundation and the judges are committed to providing support to talented young musicians,” said Justin DiCioccio, who chaired last year’s judging panel. An MYF board member who works with NFAA as a judge and Chairs the Manhattan School of Music Jazz department, DiCioccio stressed the high caliber of the winners. “This award is more than being able to play an instrument or sing in the right key; the judges look for poise, dedication and passion in a candidate.”
Among this year’s winners is Gerald William Clayton, who is currently a senior at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Clayton received a Spotlight Award in the category of jazz instrumental music and was named Outstanding Soloist–Piano at the 31st Annual High School Competition. He plans to focus on jazz studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the University of California, Los Angeles or New School University in New York. Professional musician John Clayton and Linda Buck, classical piano teacher, have had the most significant influence on Gerald’s development as a jazz keyboardist.
For more information on the Music for Youth Foundation, visit www.musicforyouth.org.
For More information on the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, visit ARTSawards.org.
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