American Music Conference Honors Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser with Henry Grossman Lifetime Director Award

In recognition of his long and successful record as a clinician, author, composer, college band director, consultant, adjudicator and an advocate for music, the American Music Conference (AMC) has honored Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser with its annual Henry Grossman Lifetime Director Award. The presentation took place during the Music and Sound Expo in Minneapolis, Minn., in mid-April.

“We who work to create a better musical future for this country know just how central ‘Dr. Tim’ is to our efforts,” says AMC President John D’Addario. “We’re proud to have him as a member of AMC, and in giving him this award, the honor is ours.”

Dr. Lautzenheiser is a renowned expert in the field of music education and a tireless advocate on its benefits. An AMC member, Dr. Lautzenheiser is featured in a special presentation as part of the Music Education Advocate’s Toolkit, or “Einstein Kit,” that AMC makes available to grassroots music supporters. In addition, “Essential Advocacy Resources for Music,” compiled by Dr. Lautzenheiser and his colleagues, is a 304-page compendium of facts, tips and sample outreach letters to help groups and individuals in their efforts to support music education. It is available on AMC’s Web site, www.amc-music.org. Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser also delivers more than 200 advocacy sessions annually, raising awareness among educators and the community of the value and benefits of music education.

The recipient of numerous awards, he is the national spokesperson for MENC: The National Association for Music Education’s “Make a Difference with Music” program, and serves as the Director of Education for the musical instrument manufacturer Conn-Selmer.

In cooperation with NAMM, Conn-Selmer, Hal Leonard and MENC: The National Association for Music Education, Dr. Lautzenheiser forged a historic partnership in 2001 to create “Music Making Makes a Difference,” a groundbreaking program designed to help high school music students, college music majors and music teachers by increasing awareness of music education, distributing music advocacy materials and encouraging more people to choose music education as a career.

Previous winners of the Henry Grossman Honorary Lifetime Director Award have included Remo Belli, Karl Bruhn, Sid Davis, Jerome Hershman, Jimmy Johnson, Larry Linkin, Jack Maher, Ted McCarty, Vito Pascucci, Lowell Samuel and Henry Steinway, and most recently in 2003, Yamaha Corporation of America Senior Vice President Terry Lewis.

The American Music Conference is a national nonprofit educational association dedicated to promoting the importance of music, music making and music education to the general public. For more information, visit www.amc-music.org.