Grants and Donations Support Local Student Musicians
The Southern Highland Music Foundation (SHMF) headquartered in Clayton GA has received a number of new grants and donations to provide quality music instruction to students in the Northeast Georgia region during 2025.
Among the monies received is a $1,000.00 grant from the Lake Rabun Fund at the North Georgia Community Foundation. An additional $1,000.00 donation from the Colquitt Foundation was given in honor of the employees of ‘The Swag’ and ‘Cataloochee Ranch’ near Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Finally, a grant of $850.00 was received from the Georgia Music Foundation to support SHMF’s Homeschool Arts program. All monies received will be used to either provide financial assistance to students who cannot afford music education or to purchase acoustic instruments for students to use in the SHMF Homeschool Arts program.
SHMF CEO, Tom Nixon, said, “These grants and donations directly support the music education programs SHMF coordinates for students through the Blue Ridge Music Academy in Clayton. The SHMF Homeschool Arts project is a new program dedicated to providing quality music instruction to Homeschooled children in the region.”
“Homeschooled children do not have access to the basic music instruction offered in the public schools,” Nixon said, “and virtual music instruction on the internet can’t come close to the quality of instruction received when students can play real instruments in the company of other students.”
“But homeschoolers have a significant advantage of a more flexible schedule that allows them to take instruction weekday mornings and early afternoons,” Nixon added. “In addition, regional Homeschoolers who take advantage of morning and early afternoon teaching slots qualify for discounted instruction rates, he said.”
About SHMF:
The Southern Highland Music Foundation (www.Southernhighlandmusicfoundation.com) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to teaching traditional and contemporary music through a program of personal encouragement, demonstration and hands-on instrument instruction. SHMF is headquartered in Clayton, GA and serves the southern Appalachian Mountain region.
CONTACT for more information:
Tom Nixon, CEO, at: CEO@Southernhighlandmusicfoundation.com; or (706) 490-0539.
SHMF Recieves Two Grants
To Support Music Instruction
In Rabun County Schools
The Southern Highland Music Foundation (SHMF) has received two important grants to provide supplemental music instruction for students enrolled in Rabun County public schools through 2024.
The first award for $1,000.00 is from The Lake Rabun Fund at the North Georgia Community Foundation. The funds will be used to provide in-class music instruction for Rabun County Middle School and High School Students. The second award, from the Georgia Council for the Arts, is an $8,000.00 Arts Education Program grant to support SHMF’s High Performance ’24! music education and professional recording program.
Tom Nixon, Chief Executive Officer of SHMF, said, “The recent grants from The Lake Rabun Fund at the North Georgia Community Foundation and the Georgia Council for the Arts, make it possible for the Southern Highland Music Foundation to accomplish its mission. These much-needed funds are providing new and exciting musical experiences for Rabun County Middle and High School students.”
High Performance ’24!, is a new component to Rabun County’s Middle School and High School general music classes. Designed as an introduction to professional and practical music performance and recording techniques,’ the new program includes in-class music instruction for instrumental and voice training and opportunities for students to learn audio recording and engineering techniques in a recording studio on the high school campus. The program will also include after-class and off-site performance opportunities.
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