Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.   Nederland is between North Las Vegas, Nevada and New Hope, Pennsylvania on the 2016 GRAMMY Signature School semifinalists list, which is significant only as an alphabetical listing. But the fact that it is listed at all is excellent news for the Nederland Middle Senior High School music program.

Nederland High School is one of 119 public high schools in the nation that has been selected for making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic year. Each of the school finalists will receive a custom award and monetary grant to benefit its music program. This is the 16th time, more than any other school in the country, that NHS has been a GRAMMY School semi-finalist.

Each of the finalists will receive a custom award and monetary grant to benefit its music program. The top programs are designated Gold recipients and the best program of the Gold recipients is designated as the National GRAMMY Signature School.

For the other schools that are economically underserved, the GRAMMY Foundation established the Enterprise Award to recognize the efforts these schools have made for the students’ musical education. In mid-December a list of schools in the Enterprise Award category will be posted. This program is made possible in part by Converse, Ford Motor Company Fund, Hot Topic Foundation, Journeys, Les Paul Foundation and RBC Foundation, USA.

In mid-March, 2016, the GRAMMY Foundation will announce the finalists. These schools will receive a grant ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 to benefit their music program.

Other Colorado schools to be named semi-finalists are: Fairview High School in Boulder, Loveland High School in Loveland.