Four Boston-area schools win "Glee" grants

Four Boston-area schools have extra reason to be gleeful this holiday season. Andover High School, Georgetown Middle-High School, Chelmsford High School, and Millis High School have all won grants from the "Glee Give a Note Campaign," which funds at-risk school music programs across the country.

The campaign, inspired by Twentieth Century Fox's popular musical television show "Glee," launched three months ago. Applicant schools were required to submit video submissions illustrating their individual music program's need. Visit www.GleeGiveANote.com to view the video submissions.

"'Glee' has always been about the importance of arts education, and...I have felt strongly from the beginning that the show has a responsibility to give back," commented the show's co-creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy. "We congratulate the winners and want the thousands of students across the country who submitted to know how impressed we were with their passion and talent. Music programs were incredibly important to me growing up, and we hope that our show and initiatives like 'Give a Note' continue to demonstrate how much they mean to our kids."

Andover High School received $25,000 to support the Vocal Music Association; the Georgetown Music Department, Chelmsford High Fine Arts Department, and the Millis Chorus each received $10,000. Sixty-nine other schools across the country received grants to support their music education programs.

"Music education plays such a critical role in the development of our children, yet its place in our schools is not assured due to dire budget situations across the nation," said Michael Butera, executive director of the National Association for Music Education. "Bold and generous acts, like FOX's Glee Give a Note campaign, validate its importance and bring a sense of hope to thousands of educators and students. We are deeply grateful for the funding and awareness this campaign has created."