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Name: BarryNet Message Board Date/Time: 1/7/2023 10:07 PM Subject: Barry Manilow To Present $10,000 Award To Newsome Orchestra Teacher
Patch.com, 04 January 2023 After winning the popular vote in The Manilow Music Project Music Teacher Award, Newsome High School director of orchestras Christopher Allen will be honored by music legend Barry Manilow on Saturday, Jan. 14, when Manilow performs in concert at Amalie Arena. The Grammy Award-winning musician and 2002 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee will meet backstage with Allen to present him with a $5,000 cash award and $5,000 in "Manilow" bucks to purchase musical instruments for Newsome's music program. To determine which music teacher would receive the honor, in December the Hillsborough and Pinellas County school boards in conjunction with the Amalie Arena nominated 10 school music teachers and then invited the public to vote for their favorite nominee. "I couldn't believe I'd even been nominated," Allen said. "I know every one of the other teachers and they're all phenomenal." Other teachers in the running for the honor were John Parris of Howard W. Blake High School; Revae Douglas of Sumner High School; Christopher Revett of Robinson High School; Cheri Sleeper of Strawberry Crest High School; Gerard Madrinan of Seminole High School; Katie Aucremann of St. Petersburg High School; Kamyl Alicea-Cordero of Dunedin High School; Rebekah Chambers of Tarpon Springs High School; and Nicholas Stefanic of Hollins High School. On Wednesday, Manilow announced that the votes had been tallied and Allen, the orchestra director at Newsome High for 14 years, was the winner. "It's been a whirlwind since it was announced," Allen said. "People have been calling me and posting on my Facebook page all day, congratulating me. Anyone of those other teachers could have won. It made me feel so supported just to know people really hold me in regard." A product of the Pinellas County School District, Allen, 48, holds a bachelor of arts degree in French horn performance from the University of South Florida and, in his spare time, has performs with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in Fort Myers, the Walt Disney World Orchestra, the Sarasota Orchestra and the Florida Orchestra. He also directs the Sarasota Youth Orchestra. Prior to joining the staff at Newsome, Allen taught in low-income Title 1 elementary schools for six years where he said kids were starving for a chance to learn to play an instrument or see a live musical performance. However, their parents couldn't afford a $5 band T-shirt much less the cost of a ticket to a concert. So Allen said he became adept at applying for grants to purchase musical instruments and fund field trips to satisfy his grade-school students' love of music. "It was challenging but also very rewarding," Allen said. When he was appointed orchestra director at Newsome High School in Lithia, where he lives with his wife, Melissa, who also teaches music, funding continued to be a challenge. The performing and fine arts are the first programs to be cut when money is tight. "The school district only supplies so much funding. We have a double bass at the school that was purchased when the school opened 20 years ago," Allen said. "And with instruments being shared by hundreds of kids, you can imagine the wear and tear. I only have enough funding to repair one instrument a year." He said the funding from the Manilow Music Project is desperately needed. "We're constantly trying to find more money for the music programs," he said. "To me, this really goes to show that the people in the Manilow camp understand the need to keep these music programs afloat. I wish more successful musicians would start these kinds of programs." Manilow said it's been rewarding to help struggling music programs. "It is wonderful to partner with our concert venues to identify schools and music teachers in their neighborhoods that deserve this small token of my gratitude," said Manilow. "Many school music programs have either been terminated or their funds have been severely depleted. I always want to do my part through The Manilow Music Project to keep music in schools." Since his nomination was announced in early December, Allen said he's enjoyed introducing his students to Manilow's music. Every school day he would play a different Manilow hit. Some, he said, they'd heard before like "Copacabana (At the Copa)," "Could It Be Magic" and "I Write the Songs." Others were new to them including "Mandy," Somewhere Down the Road" and "Can't Smile Without You." Allen has plenty of hits from which to choose. Manilow is one of the most prolific singer-songwriters in America. He has sold more than 85 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists. He has recorded and released 51 Top 40 singles including 13 No. 1 hits, 28 hits in the Top 10 and 36 in the Top 20. Additionally, Manilow, now 79, has written and performed songs for musicals, films and commercials, for which he's received a Tony Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. He's also a Grammy Award-winning producer, producing albums for such stars as Bette Midler and Dionne Warwick. "And to think he began his career writing jingles for commercials," Allen said. In 1971, Manilow was paid $500 for writing State Farm's jingle, "Like a Good Neighbor," according to the singer-songwriter's biography. He went on to write "Stuck on Band-Aid," for which he won a CLIO award in 1976, and McDonald's' "You Deserve a Break Today." He will present Allen with 20 times the amount of money he earned for his first jingle. "This is just great," Allen said. "I love that my program and my love of teaching music is getting recognition. And the money will be put to good use. For tickets to Manilow's concert, click here. 
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