We are thrilled to announce that the Mason Academy has been honored with the Legend Leadership Award from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, specifically for our Instruments in the Attic donation and outreach music program. The prestigious grant award continues the late great Dale Earnhardt’s commitment to supporting programs that focus on children, education, and environmental/ wildlife preservation.
The award includes a generous financial gift from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, earmarked for expenses related to musical instrument repair and for scholarship funds for two Mason student “Teaching Scholars,” plus an official certificate, a book about Mr. Earnhardt, and finally a signed, limited edition Epiphone electric guitar (pictured above).
On behalf of the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, we would like to congratulate you, and the Instruments in the Attic program, as one of our selected Legend Leadership Award Winners,” stated Dale Earnhardt Foundation representative Rhonda Phipps in a letter to the Academy. “In recognition of this creative program, and the leadership of your [Mason] students, [the grant award will] help the program to continue and expand. Congratulations on all your achievements and we know that you, and Instruments in the Attic, will continue to make a positive impact with the students in your community through the universal gift of music.”
The Instruments in the Attic program accepts gently-used instruments from generous community members who no longer have need of them, but can’t bear the thought of throwing them away. As funding allows, the Academy repairs the instruments to playable condition (as necessary) and then places them in various school or community music programs and into the hands of deserving young students who might not otherwise be able to participate in the joy of music-making.
Through the Teaching Scholars program (also part of Instruments in the Attic), a select group of Mason School of Music students (often Music Education majors) are awarded scholarships based on academic achievement and passion for music education. These Teaching Scholars are sent to local schools in the community to provide auxiliary music classes for young students, as well as auxiliary support to the music teachers in those schools.
The financial award from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation will allow for more instruments to be repaired and “re-used”, and will increase the number of Teaching Scholar scholarship awards that can be given. The heightened exposure of the program will also provide long-term sustainable benefits.
We would like to give a very sincere thank you to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, and the Earnhardt family, for recognizing our efforts to give access to quality music education and experiences to all community members, and for helping us “recycle” the love of music for all to enjoy!