WRENTHAM — Superintendent Paul Zinni is pleased to announce that the King Philip Music Association (KPMA) was recently awarded the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Association Music Advocacy Award.
The award was presented on Friday, March 6 at the annual Massachusetts Music Education Conference at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.
The Music Advocacy Award is presented annually to outstanding individuals, organizations or community leaders who have demonstrated advocacy for music education in Massachusetts schools.
The award may be given to any individual, organization or community leaders who qualify under the following criteria:
- Is active as an advocate for music education in the school or community
- Shows strong leadership in the community and good rapport with teachers, parents, students, and administrators
- Candidate’s efforts have led to a financial commitment for music education by the school system and community
- Candidate’s efforts have led to improvements in curriculum, budget, or enrollment in the music program
“Congratulations to our parent group for receiving this prestigious award,” King Philip Regional High School Band Director Michael Keough said. “We appreciate their continued support of our music programs.”
Founded in 1986, the King Philip Music Association works to support the vision of the King Philip music faculty and school administration through fundraising and volunteerism. The nomination for the Music Advocacy Award was put forward by band and choral music directors Michael Keough, Josh Wolloff, Ashley Nelson-Oneschuck, Ryan DeWolfe and Peter Tileston.
Since its inception, the KPMA has been integral to the growth and sustained success of the King Philip music program. The KPMA annually fundraises upwards of $80,000 to enhance the programming offered by the King Philip Regional School District. These funds afford every King Philip student access to private lessons, chamber music, co-curricular ensembles such as jazz band, marching band, indoor percussion, and color guard, regardless of their economic background. They have commissioned new works, funded numerous clinicians and guest artists, and facilitated musical exchanges.
In addition to their ongoing fundraising efforts, three years ago an alumni parent instituted an endowment fund for the music program with the hopes of eventually lessening the need for ongoing fundraising or to offset large capital projects. Each year they transform the high school field house into Winter Wonderlands and Spring Playgrounds for the annual pops concerts, where student waiters serve homemade meals to concertgoers. For over 20 years they have aided in the setup and running of a week-long marching band camp in Maine.
“The parents who have donated their time to the KPMA over the last 30 years have not only been responsible for funding the efforts of the program, they have been nurturing figures to the thousands of students who have been members of this program,” Superintendent Zinni said. “Many of the current and past board members have served for 10-plus years as their children matriculate through the program and beyond.”
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