[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 74 (Monday, May 7, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE HUNTERS LANE HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM

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                            HON. JIM COOPER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2007

  Mr. COOPER. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the 
students, teachers and administrators of the music department at 
Hunters Lane High School in Nashville, Tennessee. They are tonight 
celebrating a well-deserved designation as a Signature School by the 
Grammy Foundation and the Gibson Foundation, an honor given to just 22 
schools across the country.
  Hunters Lane is one of Nashville' s fine public high schools, and in 
a city known for its music, Hunters Lane's program lives up to our 
community's highest standards. The Warriors boast a marching band, a 
concert band, a jazz band and a drum line, in addition to a bustling 
choral music program, all of which perform to great acclaim. Indeed, 
the students at Hunters Lane are a talented bunch.
  I was pleased, Madam Speaker, but not surprised to learn that Hunters 
Lane was being recognized with a $5,000 grant from the Grammy 
Foundation and the Gibson Foundation to benefit the school's guitar and 
piano programs. Hunters Lane was selected from over 20,000 schools and 
700 applicants. Clearly, their music program is the cream of the crop.
  I am particularly proud of Hunters Lane's commitment to music 
education. Just two weeks ago in the House of Representatives, we 
passed a resolution I offered with my colleague Mr. Porter expressing 
the sense of Congress that ``music education grounded in rigorous 
instruction is an important component of a well-rounded academic 
curriculum and should be available to every student in every school.'' 
Music education, the House found, helps students ``analyze, solve 
problems, communicate, and work cooperatively.'' Soon I expect the 
Senate to concur in this matter, and the importance of school-based 
music education to youth development will be resolved by the full 110th 
Congress.
  Truly, Hunters Lane High School expresses our community's commitment 
to music education, and I hope that this honor only furthers the 
school's goals. That is why today I ask my colleagues to join me in 
saluting the students, teachers and administrators of Hunters Lane, who 
have worked hard to make their music program one of the best in the 
country. May this award inspire other public schools across the nation 
to follow in their footsteps.

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