School gets Mountain of support

The Rocky

Published March 28, 2008 at 3:21 p.m.

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A poster of the Beatles adorns music teacher Melissa Grundy's classroom at Lincoln High School - along with an oversize reproduction of a check for $10,899.

The check is proof that Grundy is getting by with a little help from her friends at The Mountain, the Denver FM rock station.

The check was presented Feb. 21 to Grundy and Lincoln's music program, and will be used to purchase student instruments.

The gift is part of the station's Music in the Schools Initiative, said Warren Green, The Mountain's promotion director.

The money came from sales over the past five years of the station's Mountain Homegrown CDs. Lincoln's "underserved" music program received all the proceeds, Green said.

This is the brainchild of Jake Schroeder, Mountain DJ and vocalist with the band Opie Gone Bad.

"I wanted to honor local music teachers," Schroeder said, insisting that the program's success "had little to do with me."

Schroeder contacted Mayor John Hickenlooper about the initiative ("I'd bartended for him 15 years ago," the singer noted), and the mayor talked to DPS superintendent Michael Bennet.

It was decided that Lincoln would receive the money, based on need and on Grundy's efforts to re-energize Lincoln's music program.

The purpose of the gift is obvious, Schroeder said. "Anything you can do positive for these kids is good. This is a seed we're planting."

He added that there's talk of including some of the Lincoln musicians on a future Homegrown CD, and involving local professional players in tutoring students.

"It's a small first step," the singer observed. "We're looking districtwide" for future collaborations.

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