American Songbook Association Inc.

To expand the audience for the American Songbook through promotion, education, and visibility.

a. Educational outreach to underserved communities, we bring performance and study of American popular song to school children with a series of participatory workshops and performance. Those living in senior citizen homes are isolated, and music has been shown to provide benefits for dementia symptoms, but this population gets very little exposure to live music -- we plan to expand our concerts and singalongs at care facilities. Our YouTube channel is a rich resource of recorded performances for research, education and the fans of the genre.
b. Support to performers, including cash grants and a summer workshop. Grants are awarded to performers interested in the Great American Songbook of any age. The summer workshop trains singers on the artistic and practical aspects of performing.
c. A directory of cabaret performances, ASA/Cabaret Scenes is the only magazine dedicated to the art of cabaret. It supports performers and venues with comprehensive listings of performances, feature articles, reviews, a directory of performance venues, websites and organizations promoting this music.

a. Our existing team of editors and freelance reviewers publish ASA/Cabaret Scenes magazine in print and online. We are the only existing magazine dedicated to the art of Cabaret and the music and performers around the world who take part in this genre.
b. We have recruited a Board of Directors that includes performers, devotees of the genre and lawyers. It is a working Board that helps with all aspects of the organization.
c. Support of the community. We have been able to recruit singers and musicians to volunteer their time on all of our programs and fundraisers. We seek to be, and are, the leading organization of its type.
d. Proven fundraising ability. We have been able to attract donors who want to make annual grants to performers as well as support annual costs. Our fundraising events tend to be sold out.

a. Our educational outreach is a vibrant, popular program, led by a Board member. In 2019 we brought our singing workshop to public schools in all five boroughs of New York City, with an emphasis on minorities and schools lacking arts programs.
b. We visit nursing homes and give performances bringing joy to shut ins. Performers from the theater, Broadway, TV, film and cabaret donate their time to perform live for our education and outreach programs. We plan to take the program nationwide by training teachers.
c. We are currently developing a website and YouTube channel that will provide video, original content and quizzes, as well as encourage kids to sing! It will be fun and educational.
d. We give the Margaret Whiting Award and in 2020 we will expand our grant program to performers funded by a recent gift to the ASA.
e. ASA/Cabaret Scenes magazine has been published since 1995 with an expanding global readership. It is the leading resource for audiences, performers and performance venues.
f. We have given out two Lifetime Achievement Awards as part of our fundraising Gala, including Sheldon Harnick, acclaimed Pulitzer Prize lyricist for Fiddler on the Roof and Marilyn Maye, 92-year-old legendary singer, Johnny Carson’s favorite vocalist, who has a storied nightclub and television career.