School of Music Selected As Grant Recipient of 2016 GRAMMY Foundation Grant
Thursday, April 21, 2016
The Grammy Foundation Grant Program has selected the University of South Florida as a recipient of a grant to fund scientific research on the effects of piano training on patients with Parkinson's disease. The grant is part of the Grammy Foundation's initiative to facilitate archiving, preservation, and scientific research related to music and recorded sound.
This generous grant will help Dr. Jennifer Bugos at the USF School of Music to pioneer research on the effects of piano training on cognition, motor controls, and psychosocial development in patients with Parkinson's disease. While piano training has been shown to improve cognition in healthy adults, little is known about the benefits of musical training on individuals with Parkinson's. This is the first randomized clinical trial of its kind, having the potential to benefit the more than five million Americans who suffer from the disorder.
"The Recording Academy provides sustaining financial support for our GRAMMY Foundation Grant Program, and as we approach the initiative's 30th anniversary next year, we are proud to have awarded close to $7 million to nearly 400 projects in the fields of archiving, preservation and scientific research," shares President/CEO of The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation Neil Portnow. "We are proud to be a leading funder in these areas of philanthropy, and lend our resources to such distinguished recipients and exemplary endeavors."
Other grant recipients of 2016 include the New York Philharmonic, Université de Montréal, Colorado State University, and more. The outreach of the Grammy Foundation Grant Program continues to expand. In 2008, the Grant Program began to support preservation endeavors by smaller organization and individuals who may lack the expertise and resources needed to create a preservation plan. The Grant Program will continue the essential tasks of protecting historical sound materials and supporting scientific endeavors that advance the human condition.
Follow this link to read the Official 2016 Grammy Foundation Press Release