Lagos luxury hotelsWisconsin Foundation for School Music Names Area Celebrities to Honorary Council

MADISON, WI (July 23, 2001)– The Wisconsin Foundation for School Music (WFSM) and the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) announce an Honorary Council consisting of five well-known Wisconsinites. The Honorary Council will lend their support to the WFSM capital campaign, "Music Education: A Sound Investment."

The following five Wisconsin fine arts proponents have pledged their support, advice, and name to the WFSM campaign as Honorary Council members:

• Tom Wopat- professional performer, actor, and Lodi, Wisconsin native.
• Dick Gaarder- former WSMA Executive Director (1963-1988)
• hôtels NaplesLee Sherman DreyfusTurin hotels- former Governor of Wisconsin (1979-1983)
• Elaine Davishôtels Kastrup- advocate for Boys and Girls Club of Dane County
• Kit Reuter-Foss- professional singer and teacher

Wopat, a Tony award nominated actor/singer, stressed the importance of music education for all children and said he believes that the Center will open a door of opportunity. "I think that music education in particular and teaching of all the arts is very important. But not all kids have that kind of opportunity. It behooves us to at least give them the chance to have access to that," he noted.

The aim of the WFSM capital campaign and the Honorary Council is to support a project to build the Wisconsin Center for Music EducationIzola Reservar Hoteles, to be open in July 2002 as the first Center in the United States dedicated to music education. The 10,000 square foot Center will be located in the Arboretum Office Park, Waunakee, near the I90/94 corridor and Highway 113.

The Center will provide educational resources to teachers, students, as well as the greater community such as a distance-learning lab, a recording studio, conference space for workshops, and a music library. It will also house the offices of several music organizations that involve thousands of Wisconsin youth and adults in music activities. According to WSMA Executive Director Mike George, over 200,000 Wisconsin students are involved annually in activities offered by the WSMA, with participation increasing by 40% over the past six years. "In order to expand programs and services for music education throughout the state, the Wisconsin Center for Music Education is a necessity," he said.

Visit www.wsmafoundation.org for more details regarding WFSM campaign news and information.

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The Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) and the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music (WFSM) form a partnership to support music education for the benefit of music educators and students of Wisconsin. The WFSM, founded in 1995 as the main fundraising arm of the partnership, provides scholarships for students participating in WSMA activities and recently launched a capital campaign to expand WSMA services. The WSMA creates opportunities for growth and learning by encouraging students and educator participation in programs such as the State Honors Music Project, Music Festivals, State Marching Band Championships, and the Student Composition Project.