Music Advocacy Group to present annual fundraiser for school music program
Published 5:07 pm Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Island performers are coming together under one roof for a shared cause: keeping music in the schools.
The Music Advocacy Group’s annual “School Music Program Benefit Concert” will feature the Orcas Choral Society, Orcas Island Community Band and Island Sinfonia as well as the High School Strings, the Middle School Band and the Orcas Youth Orchestra.
“If this tradition of musical excellence on Orcas is to continue, we need to have young musicians who enjoy it as much as us older folks,” said Craig Canine, a trumpet player in the Orcas Community Band. “The school programs seem to be on a roll in the last few years. There is a wonderful string ensemble and the bands are starting to take off as well. Teachers Pam Wright and Martin Lund are lighting a fire under the kids.”
This is MAG’s 15th annual concert to benefit the public school. Entitled “Music, Music, Music” it will be on Sunday, March 4 at 3 p.m. in the K-8 gym. Dimitri Stankevich will lead the concert as MC.
Admission is by donation at the door and gifts are tax-deductible. Last year, the event raised $7,868, the highest in the concert’s history.
“We hope to exceed that amount for our 15th anniversary,” said MAG president Catherine Pederson.
The Community Band will perform several pieces, including a Karl King march called the “Big Cage” and Henry Mancini classics such as “Moon River” and the “Pink Panther” theme. All of the groups will join together at the concert’s finale for a rousing rendition of “God Bless America.”
“It never fails to impress me what a great collection of talent we have here on the island,” said Canine, who played the trumpet in school, put it away for 30 years, and picked it up five years ago after being inspired by the wealth of musicians on Orcas. He also plays in Orcas Horns and in a brass quintet.
“Almost all of us got our musical beginnings in the public school, so we are all very interested in seeing music program be available to kids growing up,” said MAG volunteer and singer Joyce Burghardt. “Some of the fellas in the Community Band played football in high school – and they were also in band. Now, 50 years later, they aren’t playing sports but they are still playing their instruments. Music puts joy in your life.”
In 1997, MAG started a music fund with a $10,000 donation. The fund has been increased by private gifts and the annual concert. MAG maintains an Endowment Fund at the Orcas Island Community Foundation that provides interest income for the music program.
Money is administered through grants requested by the school’s music teachers. MAG has contributed $33,000 in music program grants over the past 15 years and $18,000 several years ago to save a music position from drastic program cuts.
“The audience can expect a great show and a lot of fun,” Burghardt said. “Now that the school music program has developed to such an extent, we always give a fourth of the program to selected school music groups that are ready to perform on a level with the adults. They are up there with the big kids.”
