The Grammy Foundation has announced that 36 schools nationwide have been selected as Grammy Signature Schools for 2011, and Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School was honored with the top award and named this year's National Grammy Signature School.

Pioneer's music program will thus receive $15,000, and a concert honoring Pioneer students and music staff (including David Leach, performing arts department chairman; Jonathan Glawe, orchestra; Steve Lorenz, choir; Nancy Waring, band/music theory and technology; and Rochelle Martinez, piano and guitar) will happen on Thursday, May 26 at 8 p.m. in Hill Auditorium.

The rundown of Grammy Signature School Awards for the Ann Arbor Public Schools is impressive. Pioneer previously received Grammy honors in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2010; and Huron High School received a Grammy Signature School Award in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Created in 1998, the Grammy Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year.

"The Grammy Signature Schools program exemplifies the Grammy Foundation's commitment to fostering excellence in music education in public high schools," said Neil Portnow, president/CEO of The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation, in a press release. "With the generous support of our partners, we've been able to grant the largest number of Grammy Signature Schools awards in recent history, with 36 public high schools in communities across the United States receiving this recognition. I am especially proud that this year in the Enterprise Award category for economically underserved schools, we have announced the largest number of recipients in the Grammy Foundation's history." Each of the 36 Grammy Signature Schools receive a custom award and a monetary grant to benefit its music program. The top seven schools are designated Gold recipients, and the best of the Gold recipients is named the National Grammy Signature School. As previously noted, the National Grammy Signature School receives $15,000, and the six remaining Gold schools each receive $5,500. Two remaining Grammy Signature Schools recipients will receive a grant award of $2,500 to benefit their music programs. In the Enterprise Award category, which recognizes efforts made by schools that are economically underserved, 27 schools will receive a grant of $5,500 each.

Below is a complete list of 2011 Grammy Signature Schools: 2011 National Grammy Signature School ($15,000) Pioneer High School — Ann Arbor, Mich. 2011 GRAMMY Signature Schools Gold ($5,500 each) Allen High School — Allen, Texas David Douglas High School — Portland, Ore. Flower Mound High School — Flower Mound, Texas Neuqua Valley High School — Naperville, Ill. Plano West Senior High School — Plano, Texas Waubonsie Valley High School — Aurora, Ill. 2011 GRAMMY Signature Schools ($2,500 each) Davis Senior High School — Davis, Calif. Marin School of the Arts at Novato High — Novato, Calif. 2011 GRAMMY Signature Schools Enterprise Award ($5,500 each) Allendale High School — Allendale, Mich. Arizona School for the Arts — Phoenix Bessemer City High School — Bessemer City, N.C. Bladensburg High School — Bladensburg, Md. Boston Arts Academy — Boston Canyon Crest Academy — San Diego City Neighbors High School — Baltimore Claude High School — Claude, Texas Eminence R-1 High School — Eminence, Mo. Emmirich Manual High School — Indianapolis Glencliff High School — Nashville, Tenn. Hamilton High School Academy of Music — Los Angeles Honoka’a High School — Honoka'a, Hawaii Iroquois High School Magnet Career Academy — Louisville, Ky. J. Graham Brown School — Louisville, Ky. James Madison High School — Brooklyn, N.Y. Mariposa County High School — Mariposa, Calif. Middletown High School — Middletown, Md. New Orleans Center for Creative Arts — New Orleans Perry-Lecompton High School — Perry, Kan. Rocky Mountain High School — Fort Collins, Colo. Santee Education Complex — Los Angeles Scotts Valley High School — Scotts Valley, Calif. South Albany High School — Albany, Ore. Springville High School — Springville, Iowa Stewartville High School — Stewartville, Minn. Unity High School — Mendon, Ill. The selection process for GRAMMY Signature Schools begins each year in August, when the GRAMMY Foundation mails notification to more than 20,000 public high schools from districts large and small, urban, suburban and rural, requesting information about each school's music program. Applications are completed and submitted online in October at www.grammyintheschools.com. After the applications are scored, finalists are identified and asked to submit additional documentation, such as recordings of school concerts, sample concert programs and repertoire, which is then reviewed by an independent blue ribbon committee of top music educators and professionals to determine the schools that merit Grammy Signature School status.

The Grammy Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture — from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of future generations of music professionals. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with its founder, The Recording Academy, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. Campbell's Labels For Education program is proud to be the official education partner of the Grammy In The Schools programs. For more information, please visit www.grammyintheschools.com.