Barry Manilow to present Cudahy High School music teacher with award at Aug. 3 concert

A Cudahy High School music teacher will be honored by famous singer and songwriter Barry Manilow.

Alex St. Louis will receive the Manilow Music Project Teacher Award during Manilow’s Fiserv Forum concert on Saturday, Aug. 3.

As part of the award, Cudahy High School will get $5,000 in new band instruments for the school band and St. Louis will get a $5,000 grant, both from the Manilow Fund, according to a July 25 news release from Fiserv Forum.

The Cudahy School District put out a congratulations to St. Louis on July 8 on the district website and social media.

“The Manilow Music Project Award contest is part of Manilow’s "Last, Last Tour" and was created to support high school music teachers and bands throughout the country,” the release said.

Students submitted names of their favorite music teachers from 10 Milwaukee area high schools and then voted St. Louis as the winner.

It was a friend’s request for a saxophone for his high school daughter that prompted Manilow to start the Manilow Music Project. Through community volunteers and Manilow’s management company, over $10 million has gone toward instruments and scholarships for high school and college music students across the country.

“Manilow was surprised to discover that most public schools had suffered considerable budget cuts in their school music programs and that high school music teachers were taking part time jobs just to raise the money to buy new drum sticks or a used trumpet so kids could play in the band,” the release said.

More information on the project can be found at www.manilowmusicproject.org.

Contact Erik S. Hanley at [email protected]. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cudahy HS music teacher to receive award from Barry Manilow at concert