A teacher from Northeast Wisconsin is being honored by music legend Barry Manilow with a $10,000 grant.
Ashley Siegrist, a music teacher at Bay Port High School, was named Green Bay’s winner of the Manilow Music Project — a contest created to support high school music teachers and bands across the U.S.
It coincides with Manilow’s final tour. 10 high schools in each tour city submitted the names of their favorite music teachers and then voted to select the winner.
Siegrist will receive a $10,000 grant from the Manilow Fund. Half of it will go towards new band instruments for Bay Port’s school band, and Siegrist will keep the other half. She will also be recognized by Manilow during his July 29 concert at the Resch Center.
Officials say Manilow launched the Manilow Music Project after he discovered most public schools had suffered considerable budget cuts in their music programs “and that high school music teachers were taking part time jobs just to raise the money to buy new drum sticks or a used trumpet so kids could play in the band.”
Since its inception, the Manilow Music Project has donated more than $10 million in instruments and scholarships to high school and college music students, teachers and programs throughout the country.
Donate now to help the Manilow Music Project bring music education into classrooms.
