NORTHWEST WISCONSIN - This fall the St. Croix Valley Foundation awarded $32,327 to 16 schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota through its Music Education grants program, including Frederic, $645 for keyboard project in elementary school and $2,100 for instrument repair, refurbishment and replacement in the middle and high schools; Siren, 3,570 for instrument replacement for band program; Osceola, $4,241 for "Barry is an Old Man!" production; and Taylors Falls, Minn., $2,000 for artist in residence and the ukelele program.

 

“Music has shown to have a positive impact on student learning, self-discipline, thinking skills and creative abilities,” remarked Kris Tjornehoj, chair of SCVF’s Music Education grant panel. “And there is a pressing need to provide resources that sustain and enhance music programs in our schools – whether to repair and replace aging instruments pieced together with wire and duct-tape, to give students exposure to world-class musicians, or to extend loaner instruments to students when their family’s financial resources are limited.

Music Education grants are given annually each December. They are made possible by a donor whose gift established an endowment fund. The donor, herself once a teacher, wished to give the gift of music to students of all ages, from pre-school through high school.

The SCVF provides donors with the opportunity to create or add to Valley Impact Funds for causes that are closest to their hearts. The Foundation has funds addressing a variety of causes including music education, the arts, health and wellness, the environment and animals. The advantage of these funds is their mission is unchanging yet they remain current and flexible. We cannot guess tomorrow’s issues or know which organizations can best address those issues at that time. However, through Valley Impact Funds and the competitive grants programs, the SCVF places grant dollars in the most capable hands at the right time, in perpetuity.