Letter to Editor | Thank you for celebrating school music

“The language of music is common to all generations and nations; it is understood by everybody, since it is understood with the heart.” – Gioacchino Rossini

||| FROM THE MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP* |||

The Music Advocacy Group (MAG) offers a heartfelt thank you to the Orcas Island community for their
support, collaboration, and participation in our activities as part of March is Music in our SchoolsTM month,
the nationwide celebration of the importance of school music.

On March 2, we hosted the annual School Music Benefit Concert in the High School Gym, featuring Orcas Island High School musicians performing alongside the Orcas Island Community Band, Orcas Island Choral Society Ensemble, Orcas Youth Chorus, and Turtleback Brass.

This event is the one time of year when school music supporters (many without connections to the public school) can see their financial support in action. We received many compliments from the audience about the heartwarming nature of this inter-generational concert, and who especially loved hearing the student speakers speak from the heart.

It was wonderful to learn that several Orcas Island high school alumni are now members of the Community Band and to hear that the members of Turtleback Brass had all participated in their high school music programs. Congratulations to the music teachers and all the performers for a wonderful community concert!

We would also like to recognize the public school librarians who were incredibly supportive. Through read-aloud sessions, book recommendations, and music-listening activities, the librarians engaged elementary and middle-school students in learning about musical genres, composers, and inspiring musical stories from around the world.

In a first this year, MAG’s music advocacy took to Main Street. Three iconic Main Street establishments in Eastsound Village—Darvill’s Bookstore, Pawki’s Pet Store, and New Leaf Café—pledged to donate 10% of every sale in March to MAG when customers presented a promotional certificate at checkout.

Thank you for this generous give-back FUNdraiser, organized in collaboration with HALO, that offered islanders and visitors a chance to contribute to school music while shopping locally. Alongside music-themed
books, Darvill’s window display also featured the honorees of this year’s Music Students of the Month.

Above all, this community’s unwavering efforts and support in the name of school music demonstrates to
our district’s administration, music teachers, parents and, most importantly, the students, that this community sees value in music education and supports all their efforts and dedication to learning to play a musical instrument.

YOU have inspired the board members of MAG to keep advocating for music education in the public school. We are in awe of your generosity. Truly, School Music Matters for all.

*Music Advocacy Group: Annette van Dongen, Miriam Ziegler, Doug McTavish, Sarah Murphy, Madeline Danielson, Elena Battles, Sharon Ho, Angela Saxe, Paul Andersson, Laura Jean Miller