Frank Brown Songwriters Fest Foundation presents two scholarships

Frank Brown Songwriters Fest Foundation presents two scholarships
$25,000 also raised for UWF’s Larry Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Frank Brown International Foundation for Music, the non-profit that produces the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival every November, recently presented a $1,500 scholarship check to 2017 high school graduate from Baldwin County in Alabama and another $1,500 scholarship check to a student from Escambia County in Florida.
The Foundation solicited essays from students with an interest in music before awarding scholarships to Madison Philley of Tate High School and Christopher Wren of Daphne High School.
Tate grad Philley will be majoring in music education at Jacksonville State University. Daphne’s Wren will major in Music Education at the University of South Alabama.
The mission of the Frank Brown International Foundation for Music, in addition to increasing tourism in a shoulder season and bringing authors of original music out of the shadows and into the spotlight, is to affect young lives by reaching into schools to enrich and encourage creativity through music.
“It’s really important to Joe (fest founder Joe Gilchrist) and to me to give to the community,’’ said fest director Andy Haynes. “Thus the involvement with the schools and the scholarship money.’’
In addition to the scholarships, the Foundation presented a $25,000 donation to the Larry Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of West Florida. That donation represented proceeds from the 2016 Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame Show at the Pensacola Museum of Commerce. Butler is a Pensacola native and Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer.
“We will be producing a show this year (in November) featuring 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Don Schlitz as a tribute to and in memory of Larry,’’ Haynes said. “Once again, the proceeds from this show will result in a donation to the fund.’’
The FBISF Foundation also recently presented guitars to the music programs at Bailey Middle School in Pensacola and Elberta Middle School. The two schools are regular participants in the FBISF In-Schools Outreach program, which has been available to area schools, free of charge, for more than 12 years. The program’s professional songwriters, led by Karen E. Reynolds, combine performance with an interactive approach when addressing students.
Statistics show that programs of this type can help students develop a healthy attitude towards learning and enhances self esteem, critical and cognitive thinking, academic, communication and team building skills.
“Karen is currently working on signing up schools for sessions during the 2017 festival (Nov 9 – 19),’’ Haynes said. “We also aspire to make this program available to the schools on a more year round basis, not just limit it to the dates of the festival.’’
As part of its in-schools program, the fest has annually hosted 200 students a seminar and luncheon at LuLu’s Restaurant in Gulf Shores.
“This year, I am excited to say the City of Gulf Shores will be involved in sponsoring this event. We will be moving from Lulu’s to the Gulf Shores Cultural Center on County Road 6, where we will be able to host 400 students,’’Haynes said.
“Lulu’s will remain very involved and will provide the lunch for the attendees.’’
Pictured: (l to r) FBISF Director Andy Haynes, FBISF Foundation For Music Scholarship recipient Madison Philley, FBISF founder Joe Gilchrist.