Concert promises to be music to the school program’s ears

Orcas’ top music groups will be on display this Sunday, March 2, for the annual concert and fundraiser for the school music program. It will take place at 3 p.m. in the middle school gym. Admission is by donation. The concert will be followed by a reception in the school cafeteria.

On hand to entertain music lovers will be the Orcas Island Choral Society, Island Sinfonia, a new high school / community jazz ensemble, the Orcatraz dance band and the Orcas Community Band. The groups will show off the talents of over one hundred local musicians, several of them students. Theme for the concert is American Portrait.

The event will also include displays of the artistic talents of virtually the entire student body at the school. Youngsters kindergarten through grade 12 will exhibit both self-portraits and quilts which they have made.

The students will be participating in the event in several ways. Middle school band members will pass out programs, while high school band members will serve as masters of ceremonies. A slide show of students participating in music will also be presented.

The main purpose of the concert, of course, is to raise money for the school music program. Music teacher Lizz Hanks says both the school and the community need to work together, and over the long term to build up the program. “We can’t look year to year,” she says.

Her list of needs includes instruments, equipment, scholarships for music students, a listening library, computers, practice rooms, and a renovated band room. Even though Orcas has a small school, and her list is extensive, Hanks believes that all these additions can realistically be achieved over time with support from the community. And she intends to do more than her share to make them a reality. “I’m a promoter,” the school music teacher, Lizz Hanks, says with a smile.

All money collected at the concert will go into the Music Endowment Fund, which is invested by the Orcas Island Community Foundation.

But raising money isn’t the only reason for holding the concert. “It’s to demonstrate that music education is alive and well on Orcas Island,” Hanks says.

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