Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Guild Wins Gold Book Award of Excellence
From the Volunteer Council of the League of American Orchestras for Outstanding Volunteer Project Arts and Academics Study Group

The Volunteer Council of the League of American Orchestras is pleased to announce that the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Guild has won an Award of Excellence in the annual Gold Book competition. Their project is titled Arts and Academics Study Group. The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Guild supports the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (HSO). The award will be presented at the League’s National Conference in Detroit, MI from June 6-8, 2017.

The Arts and Academics Study Group is a collaboration among educators, Guild members, HSO staff, and The Schools Foundation to increase local attendance at the Young People’s Concerts (YPC). Developing this Study Group was suggested by our State School Board member Mary Scott Hunter, whom the Guild consulted about music education standards. Since 1968, the HSO with HSO Guild support has presented the free, annual YPC, yet educators had not previously been consulted. The three school districts within Madison County, Alabama, Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County, appointed fourth grade teachers, elementary music educators, and a principal to the Study Group. HSO’s Director of Education and Guild members, including the president, education chairman, YPC chairman, and previous chairmen met with the educators in a technologically rich conference provided by The Schools Foundation. Among Study Group recommendations is a post-concert survey designed and sent to all attending teachers. A rising ninth grade magnet student was recruited to produce the prezi used to present YPC to the three school boards prior to the concerts; she also produced the prezi showing survey results. The survey will be sent for two more years to establish three years of data as basis for further recommendations to increase the value of the YPC for area students.

The annual Gold Book competition recognizes outstanding projects created and implemented by volunteer associations of symphony orchestras throughout the United States and Canada. Projects are judged by the League’s Volunteer Council each fall. All of the submitted projects will be featured online at www.goldbookonline.org.

The League’s Volunteer Council is an organization of recognized community leaders throughout the United States and Canada who have demonstrated outstanding support for their symphony orchestras. The Council’s awards honor volunteers who, through their hard work and dedication, help to insure the success of their organizations.

League of American Orchestras

The League of American Orchestras leads, supports, and champions America’s orchestras and the vitality of the music they perform. Its diverse membership of more than 2,000 organizations and individuals across North America runs the gamut from world-renowned symphonies to community groups, from summer festivals to student and youth ensembles, from conservatories to libraries, from businesses serving orchestras to individuals who love symphonic music. The only national organization dedicated solely to the orchestral experience, the League is a nexus of knowledge and innovation, advocacy, and leadership advancement. Its conferences and events, award-winning Symphony magazine, website, and other publications inform people around the world about orchestral activity and developments. Founded in 1942 and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers and administrators, board members, volunteers, and business partners. Visit americanorchestras.org.

Thanks to Guild member Jamie Saunders for sending and receiving the Survey Monkey evaluation survey!

For more information, contact:
Susan Anderson
256-5332935
chamaskas@comcast.net

Click on the “start prezi” arrows in the center of the images to begin each prezi.  Then use the arrows at the bottom of each image to navigate through the presentations. 

Arts and Academics Study Group Presentation

Arts and Academics 2016 YPC Survey Results Presentation