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| Vans Berklee Off the Wall Scholarship Awarded to Brookfield, WI, Singer-Songwriter Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand, is honored to support music education offering its second scholarship with Berklee College of Music, the world's leading college of contemporary music. The Vans Berklee Off the Wall Scholarship is a four-year award covering tuition, room and board for a talented, young musician. Vans is happy to welcome Leila Goodrum, an 18-year-old singer-songwriter from Brookfield, Wisconsin, as the 2015 recipient of this prestigious award. Vans is a brand rich in music history with deep roots in movements ranging from punk and metal to indie rock and hip-hop. Since 1966, Vans has remained committed to supporting the communities, environments and creative platforms of action sports, art, youth development and music through a variety of initiatives including the Vans Custom Culture art competition and the brand's cultural hub, House of Vans. Vans strives to empower creative expression by giving back to the communities that have defined its history for almost 50 years. With this ongoing Berklee scholarship, Vans further expands its music outreach into education. Vans and Berklee instituted the partnership in 2014 and awarded the first scholarship last fall to singer-songwriter Miette Hope Goldman. The scholarship has been life changing for both recipients. "Vans is so proud to once again celebrate the Off The Wall Scholarship and partner with Berklee, an institution that for 70 years has the same dedication to inspiring creative expression among youth, " said Kevin Bailey, President of VF Actions Sports and Vans. "Miette Hope is a beautiful example of the raw talent that can continue to flourish from these types of initiatives and we are so excited to support Leila on this truly Off the Wall journey." Leila Goodrum has been composing, performing, and recording her own songs since she realized she had a passion for songwriting. "I've never done anything in my life that I love more, " said Goodrum. She performs at local venues, records in a home studio, and self-produced an album of original songs titled Magic. During high school, Goodrum studied vocal and piano performance, participated in extra-curricular choir and was a musical theater devotee. At Berklee, Goodrum is studying songwriting and vocal performance. "I didn't honestly expect to be able to attend Berklee for financial reasons, but I applied anyway because it is my dream school and even just to be accepted would have been amazing, " said Goodrum. "This scholarship is making a pretty big difference in my life. I'm looking forward to learning and developing my musicianship at Berklee." "I'm honored to have worked with Vans to develop this scholarship. When an adolescent laces up their first pair of Vans, it's a right of passage to becoming a teenager. Now, Vans is helping these teenagers meet their dream of graduating from Berklee, " said Jeffrey Dorenfeld, professor of music business/management. "It was an incredibly rewarding experience meeting the recipients. Knowing that Miette Hope had a great first year, and seeing how fast Leila Goodrum has acclimated, is validation that this scholarship truly changes lives. I look forward to watching Miette and Leila grow and succeed at Berklee – something that couldn't have happened without Vans' belief in the value of music education." About Vans Vans, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand. Vans authentic collections are sold globally in more than 75 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. Vans also owns and operates more than 450 retail locations around the world. The Vans brand promotes the action sports lifestyle, youth culture and creative self-expression through the support of athletes, musicians and artists and through progressive events and platforms such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, Vans Pool Party, Vans Custom Culture, Vans Warped Tour, and Vans' cultural hub and international music venue, the House of Vans. About Berklee Berklee College of Music, a non-profit educational institution, was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For 70 years, the college has evolved to reflect the current state of the music industry, leading the way with baccalaureate studies in performance, music business/management, songwriting, music therapy, film scoring, and more. With a focus on global learning, Berklee in Valencia, a new campus in Spain, is hosting the college's first graduate programs, while Berklee Online serves distance learners worldwide with extension classes and degree-granting programs. The Berklee City Music Network provides after-school programming for underserved teens in 47 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. With a student body representing over 100 countries and alumni and faculty that have won more than 300 Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow. write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Jazz News :: home page |