In the Gettysburg Area School District, we serve a population with upwards of 60% of students eligible for free and reduced lunches. But in the GASD Music Department, we believe that a child’s musical experiences should not be limited by his or her economic status. Because we believe that having a quality musical experience is a right, not a privilege, we have started the Music for All initiative. Music for All is designed to help ensure that every student, regardless of his or her ability to rent or purchase an instrument, has the opportunity to participate in our instrumental music programs. Through school-owned instruments and rental sponsors, we have been able to serve dozens of students over the past several years, but now our programs have outgrown our resources. At the present time, we are facing a deficiency of over 15 instruments. That is 15 hopeful students that we may have to turn away because of their inability to pay for a rented instrument. Music for All aims to close this gap by increasing interest in the sponsorship program as well as raising funds for repairs to current instruments in addition to the purchase of new equipment.
The sponsorship program offers brand new, rented instruments to students via an anonymous rental sponsor. The sponsor and student never know each other’s’ names and at the end of the rental term, the instrument becomes the property of the school, allowing for more students in the future to participate in the program. School-owned instruments are assigned to students in need with a contract stating that the student’s family is responsible for repairs or replacement of the instrument should any damage occur that affects the playability of the instrument. Both of these programs allow students to use the instrument free of charge while they are a member of an ensemble. Countless students have benefitted from these programs over the last several years, but with program enrollment skyrocketing, we need to act quickly before we have to turn students away.
Over the years, many of our school-owned instruments have fallen into disrepair. The schools offer a repair budget each year, but with the costs of labor and materials increasing, it just isn’t enough to keep up with the normal wear-and-tear on our instruments. Many of these instruments have been used by students for decades and need various expensive repairs to make them fully playable once again. In some cases, it is simply less expensive to purchase a new instrument rather than refurbish an old one. With the funds from the various Music for All fundraisers, we would be able to assess our current instruments to repair those that we can and replace those with more extensive wear and damage.
Our first fundraiser with the Music for All initiative will be a shirt sale. T-Shirts and hooded sweatshirts will be offered to anyone affiliated with the music department (and anyone that would like to purchase one to offer their support!). Orders will be due on October 10th with delivery estimated the following week. The elementary band and orchestra programs will split the profits equally. We hope that this will be a fun way to raise funds as well as increase visibility and support for our music department.
The sponsorship program offers brand new, rented instruments to students via an anonymous rental sponsor. The sponsor and student never know each other’s’ names and at the end of the rental term, the instrument becomes the property of the school, allowing for more students in the future to participate in the program. School-owned instruments are assigned to students in need with a contract stating that the student’s family is responsible for repairs or replacement of the instrument should any damage occur that affects the playability of the instrument. Both of these programs allow students to use the instrument free of charge while they are a member of an ensemble. Countless students have benefitted from these programs over the last several years, but with program enrollment skyrocketing, we need to act quickly before we have to turn students away.
Over the years, many of our school-owned instruments have fallen into disrepair. The schools offer a repair budget each year, but with the costs of labor and materials increasing, it just isn’t enough to keep up with the normal wear-and-tear on our instruments. Many of these instruments have been used by students for decades and need various expensive repairs to make them fully playable once again. In some cases, it is simply less expensive to purchase a new instrument rather than refurbish an old one. With the funds from the various Music for All fundraisers, we would be able to assess our current instruments to repair those that we can and replace those with more extensive wear and damage.
Our first fundraiser with the Music for All initiative will be a shirt sale. T-Shirts and hooded sweatshirts will be offered to anyone affiliated with the music department (and anyone that would like to purchase one to offer their support!). Orders will be due on October 10th with delivery estimated the following week. The elementary band and orchestra programs will split the profits equally. We hope that this will be a fun way to raise funds as well as increase visibility and support for our music department.
If you are interested in ordering a t-shirt, check out this form below and be in touch with Lisa Young at [email protected] or [email protected] to place your order (or visit us in person).
Shirt Sale Order Form by Lisa M. Young on Scribd
Our second fundraiser will be the Music for All instrument drive and community concert. We are aware that there are many families in our community that may have instruments sitting in their homes that are no longer being used. From October 1st-14th , we will accept donations of used instruments to be used by students in our program. On October 8th we will hold a community concert featuring the GASD Middle School and High School instrumental ensembles. These students exemplify what can happen when students are empowered to participate in music regardless of their socio-economic background. Community members will be invited to support Music for All by donating a used instrument, giving a financial donation, or signing up to sponsor an instrument for a student in need (more information can be found on this on another page on my website).
Our ultimate goal with the Music for All initiative is to increase community awareness and support for our programs. We are hopeful that, with the right community visibility, this initiative will rejuvenate our programs and allow us to serve all interested students this school year and in the years to come.
Our ultimate goal with the Music for All initiative is to increase community awareness and support for our programs. We are hopeful that, with the right community visibility, this initiative will rejuvenate our programs and allow us to serve all interested students this school year and in the years to come.