6 MPS students earn Mary Horwitt scholarships to study piano at Wisconsin Conservatory of Music

MILWAUKEE (June 26, 2015) – Six MPS students will study the piano alongside professionals at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music for the upcoming school year thanks to the annual Mary Horwitt Piano Scholarships.

Experienced teaching artists will work with the students to prepare them for a lifetime of enjoyment at the piano.

The family of Mary Horwitt, a Milwaukee Public Schools graduate, generously awards the scholarships each year to promising MPS piano students in middle and high school grades who may not otherwise be able to access private lessons at the conservatory as Mary Horwitt did as a young girl.

The winning students for 2015-16 are:

Antonio Banda, Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts

Naliah Fenner, Rufus King International High School

Nina Frankovic, Milwaukee School of Languages

Dominika Lulewicz, Rufus King International High School

Peter Morrell, Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts

Joanna Rogowski, Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School

To earn the scholarships, worth up to $1,000 each, students submit a personal statement, a letter of recommendation and a three-to-five-minute audio recording of the student’s piano playing. Finalists audition in April. Winners are asked to follow in the footsteps of Mary Horwitt and share their piano talents with residents of local nursing homes.

“Our family is proud to support MPS schools, teachers and the students who auditioned for the scholarship in April. We look forward to hearing about their progress in 2015-16,” said Sandy Horwitt, who is the son of Mary Horwitt and, like his mother, graduated from MPS’ Washington High School.

MPS continues to be committed to music education. Over the past three years, the district has added more than 140 art, music and physical education teaching positions to MPS schools and that commitment will continue in 2015-16.

MPS thanks the family of Mary Horwitt and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music for their partnership and support of MPS students.

Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to accelerating student achievement, building positive relationships between youth and adults and cultivating leadership at all levels. The district’s commitment to improvement continues to show results:

• More MPS students are meeting reading standards
• The MPS Class of 2015 earned $36 million in scholarships and still counting; and
• MPS is home to 7 of the state’s top high schools according to U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post.

Learn more about MPS by visiting our website. More MPS news is available at mpsmke.com/news.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.