[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 69 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL IN ELDERSBURG, MD, RECOGNIZED AS A GRAMMY SIGNATURE 
               SCHOOL FOR ITS OUTSTANDING MUSIC EDUCATION

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                        HON. ROSCOE G. BARTLETT

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 2003

  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, Liberty High School in 
Eldersburg, Maryland and its Instrumental Music Director Joseph Fischer 
has been recognized as one of only 50 Grammy Signature Schools 
nationwide in 2003 for its outstanding music education. Along with the 
recognition, the Grammy Foundation awarded Liberty High School with 
$1,000 toward its music education program.
  The Grammy Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the Recording Academy, 
coordinates the Grammy Signature Schools recognition program for 
outstanding music education by public schools. Most of us are probably 
familiar with the Grammys awarded by the Recording Academy to 
outstanding recording artists. The Grammy Foundation is dedicated to 
engaging students of all ages through music and arts-based education 
programs. For more information about the Foundation and its programs, 
you can visit its website www.grammy.com. A list of all the winners is 
at www.grammy.com/foundation/signature__schools.html.
  Liberty High School was one of 20,000 public high schools invited to 
submit detailed applications for the Grammy Signature Schools award.
  Finalists for the Grammy Signature School award were determined on 
the basis of a scoring system applied and critiqued by a panel of top 
music educators and professionals. Finalists then had to submit 
additional documentation such as recordings of school concerts, sample 
concert programs and repertoire that were further reviewed by an 
independent screening committee.
  As my colleagues are well aware, I was a scientist before I was 
elected to the Congress. However, I was also a teacher. I taught on the 
college level for more than 20 years. I support and applaud music 
education because it teaches participants the important life skills of 
discipline and team work. Liberty High School would not even have been 
considered as a Grammy Signature School without the leadership provided 
by its Instrumental Musical Director Joseph Fischer. It is the work of 
an excellent individual teacher, such as Mr. Fischer, that opens the 
door and inspires students to achieve success not just in their 
particular field of study, but in all future endeavors. I know that I 
am just echoing the gratitude of his students, their parents, faculty 
and administrators at Liberty High School when I salute Joseph Fischer.

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