Message from Joe “Guitar”
Dear Parkside Parents and Friends,
As many of us have come to know in our lives, the universal language of music can evoke inspiration, deep feeling, social cohesion and joyful experiences. In schools, an enriching music program can add a dimension of joy and creativity fostering latent talent in some students, and giving a means of important personal expression to others.
As noted by Maria Montessori, as humans our most powerful spiritual tools are our hands, language and imagination. Learning to play an instrument helps to refine hand movements and the tremendous neurological benefits ultimately integrate into the brain’s greater structures. Classical guitar lessons are now a valuable part of our curriculum for 3rd through 6th grade students. It is our instrument of choice because guitar is to music what soccer is to sport; anywhere that you go in the world people play soccer and people play guitar.
The ability to have free fun is one of life’s most important skills and playing music with friends is one of the richest ways to achieve this. Parkside is committed to giving our children the opportunity to express themselves artistically and cultivate a hobby that may enrich their lives and the lives of those around them, and this fine arts guitar program is an important building block in that process. We are fortunate to have as our teacher, Tom Echols, who holds a doctorate in classical guitar from the University of Southern California and has studied with some of the great guitar masters of the world.
Last year through donations and fundraisers we were able to raise the $23,000 necessary to cover the music program’s costs. This year we estimate the general cost of our program to be close to $30,000 as we have extended the Upper Elementary lessons to one hour per week per child and added hours to Tom’s schedule so he can spend some one on one time each week with students that need a little extra help.
Here is the challenge we face, our program is not funded. Therefore was ask that as a community we all pitch in to raise or donate the funds necessary to maintain this program and make it a success. Here is how it breaks down; the annual cost of lessons per student is estimated to be $800. If you are a new student to this program (3rd year student or new to Upper Elementary) and received equipment (guitar, stand, footstool, tuner, music stand and book) there is an additional cost of $190. If you have the means to support our program and donate the cost of your child’s portion or make a larger donation we would greatly appreciate it. If this is beyond your means please make an effort to raise the money or participate in planned fundraising. Parkside parent Delia Castillo will be holding small, fun community driven events throughout the year. You can contact her directly if you would like to help out. Her phone number is 444-8434 or you may email her.
As a community we can make this happen. All donations are tax deductible since this is separate from our general tuition and would be considered as supporting our fine arts program.
If you have any questions about this program please contact me. Thank you for your continuing support of Parkside.
Sincerely,
Joe Bruno
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