Abington Named Grammy Foundation Semifinalist

The Grammy Foundation on Wednesday announced the 2014 crop of Grammy Signature Schools semifinalists.

Nationally, 123 schools made the list — Abington Senior High School was one of them.

According to the Grammy in the Schools website, the Signature Schools program recognizes top American public high schools that are “making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year.”

The selection process begins each year in August when the Grammy Foundation mails notificatiosn to more than 20,000 public high schools, according to its website. After the applications are scored, finalists are asked to submit additional documentation, such as recordings of school concerts and sample concert programs, which is then reviewed by an independent committee of music educators and professionals to determine the schools that merit Grammy Signature School status, the website continued.

In March, the Grammy Foundation will announce the finalists, and those schools will receive an award and a grant ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 to benefit their respective music programs, according to the website.

Abington Senior High School was one of nine semifinalist schools in Pennsylvania. The others are:

• Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
• Bangor Area High School
• Harriton High School 
• North Allegheny Senior High School 
• Pennsbury High School
• State College Area High School
• Strath Haven High School
• Williamsport Area High School

For more information on the Grammy Foundation, visit its website.