Spring is coming and so is the 21st Anniversary Benefit Concert for the school music program. It will be at 3 p.m., Sunday, March 4, in the old school gym.

The school music program is much more than a kid learning to play an instrument. It is a place to learn how to be part of a group. If you are going to play in a group, you have a responsibility to the group. This is to get up, show up, be prepared and play nice with others. Being able to do this will pay dividends all of your life.

When a school starts to run out of money the, arts are the first to go. My mother, Joyce Burghardt, and many others decided it was not going to happen here. Anybody that knows my mother can see what’s coming. Everybody that has been involved in MAG knows why this is important — because they were in a school music program. A lot of effort has gone into raising money for this program. Support from the parents, community, and school has been instrumental.

I have been a school teacher. I know that not all students are athletes. Music is a place one can go to learn a craft, be part of a group and have some fun. It is not a free ride; it takes some effort but there can be huge dividends.

I grew up here, and I have watched the program develop over the years. It has come a long way. We are really lucky to have the teachers we do and the support from everyone involved.

In looking back, being in the band in school was one of the best of times. If I lived up here [full-time] I would be in the geezer percussion section with Ken and Ron. I still have my sticks.

So, if you’re free on March 4, come listen to some good music, put a few bucks in the basket, and there are free cookies afterward.

Dick Burghardt

Eastsound and Kent Washington