[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10554]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BARRY MANILOW

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, for nearly 40 years, legendary singer and 
songwriter Barry Manilow has inspired and dazzled millions of people 
with his musical talents. He has sold more than 80 million records 
worldwide and has written countless iconic hits.
  However, I come to the floor today not to discuss his talent but to 
recognize my friend for another one of his remarkable accomplishments--
his ongoing efforts to help preserve music education in public schools 
in Nevada and across this country.
  In recent years, significant budget cuts to public education have 
forced schools to eliminate a number of important programs. Sadly, 
music programs are often one of the first casualties. In response to 
this disturbing trend, Mr. Manilow started the Manilow Music Project, 
which helps public schools continue their music programs. The project 
donates instruments and materials to public schools and provides music 
scholarships to high school students to further their music education 
at the college level. Since 2008, the organization has donated hundreds 
of thousands of dollars worth of instruments and materials to secondary 
and high school music programs across the country.
  A wonderful example of the impact of the Manilow Music Project 
occurred last year in Nevada. During one of Mr. Manilow's recent tours 
in Las Vegas, in exchange for donations of new or gently used musical 
instruments, he offered tickets to attend one of his concerts. The 
collected instruments, valued at more than $500,000, were then donated 
to fifteen schools in the Clark County School District, the school 
district that serves the Las Vegas Valley. This gift--the largest 
donation of its kind for Clark County--has provided more than 600 
students with the opportunity to experience the joys of playing a 
musical instrument.
  In addition to his donations to the district, Mr. Manilow has also 
helped foster music appreciation. He recently invited four different 
Clark County School District school choirs to perform in his holiday 
shows and provided show tickets valued at more than $30,000 for nearly 
500 students and their parents or chaperones.
  I would like to thank Barry for his dedication to the Las Vegas 
community and his efforts to keep music alive in Nevada's schools. I am 
so pleased that he has been able to share his love of music with 
thousands of aspiring musicians.

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