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 LP
is proud to announce that LP artist Diane
Downs has recently gained
special recognition for her tireless activities in the name of youth
and percussion. Diane has received notification that she will be granted
the Cable’s Leaders in Learning Award for General Excellence
in a gala ceremony. Sponsored by cable networks, specifically the initiative
Cable in the Classroom, the award followed a rigorous selection process.
In winning the award, Diane Downs joined a small cadre who rose up
over forty-four finalists nationwide.
Cable’s Leaders in Learning Awards, now two years running, were
established to recognize educators and leaders at the forefront of
education. Conferred by cable systems’ nonprofit educational
arm, Cable in the Classroom, the recipients attend a prestigious celebration
in the Capital and take home a cash prize of $3000.
Diane Downs, a longtime LP artist, was recently the subject of the
HBO Family documentary Music in Me: Leopards Take Manhattan. The film
refers to the amazing story of the Louisville Leopards, a group of
seven to twelve year olds brought together by Diane Downs after her
spring cleaning yielded a number of percussion instruments that might
be put to better use. She put them in the hands of an assembly of youth
hailing from diverse backgrounds in Louisville. In doing so, she became
their director, leader and mentor. She taught them technique, shared
anecdotal history on indigenous instruments and respective cultures,
wrote ensemble music, scheduled rehearsals and master classes, and
booked performances. In the years since germination in 1993, the humble
aggregation has sprouted into the Louisville Leopards, now acclaimed
around the globe. Incredibly, under Diane Downs’ artistic gaze,
the Leopards have recorded six CDs, on which the kids perform on LP
congas, bongos, timbales, and various
shakers, blocks and “toys”.
In addition, the children play marimbas, glockenspiels, xylophones,
and drumset. The Leopards are a fixture at festivals and concert halls
in their region. On a foray to New York City, invited by the IAJE in
2006, the Leopards proudly opened for Chick Corea.
LP has been a faithful sponsor of Diane Downs and her Leopards. LP
is especially proud to see Diane gain her rightful national recognition.
The awards ceremony takes place at the Library of Congress in Washington,
DC on June 18, 2008 and LP joins the nation in saluting her selfless
devotion to the musical and social development of our youth.
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