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Fundraising

  • Fundraising Strategies

    Mike Lawson | August 1, 2003

    When money is short, taking out-of-state trips with a large group of students is a tall order for music directors. As big-ticket expenses pile up, fundraising is oftentimes the only option – and there are many fundraising options available. The trick is finding the right fit for the program’s needs: How much time and legwork are involved? How appealing are the products/services to the community/buyers? How much profit will the fundraiser yield – and is it worth the effort expended?

    To guide music educators through the process of finding the right fundraising campaign for their program, SBO offers a sampling of fundraising companies – sorted by category – that work with school programs every day. These Web sites offer product information and details on profitability. Several sites include charts to explain the profit margin of each fundraising activity.

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  • UPFRONT: CAREER PATHS OF MUSIC SCHOOL DEANS

    Mike Lawson | August 1, 2003

    Perhaps, as a public school music educator, teaching at the collegiate level seems a remote possibility - while striving to reach the upper echelons of a school of music seems even less obtainable. But this is not necessarily the case, as three deans of colleges of music have found.

    Alan Solomon, who now serves as the dean of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, began his career as a music therapist in the 1970s. At that time, he recalls, professors of music therapy were in great demand.

    "There weren't many people available [to teach], so I actually had several schools call me and ask me if I was interested in college teaching positions," Solomon remembers.

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  • PROFILE: WALTER MCCARTY

    Mike Lawson | March 1, 2003

    Since he joined the Celtics via a trade with the New York Knicks in 1997, Walter McCarty has been a favorite of the Boston faithful. McCarty's sweet touch from behind the arc and aggressive defense made him a key factor in the Celts' playoff run of 2002 and continue to contribute to the team's success. Off the court, the six-foot, 10-inch power forward has made a significant impact in the greater Boston community by devoting much of his time and resources to charitable causes.

    SBO sat down with McCarty after one of his most impressive games of the current season - 22 points, five assists, five three-point shots against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 22 - to discuss his new foundation, "I Love Music" (www.ilovemusicfoundation.org), which is focused on providing underprivileged children with the means to explore music education.

    "I had this idea in my head for about two years," McCarty explains. "It was something I wanted to do and I finally got enough time to really sit down and set it up. People don't necessarily understand that something like this is a lot of work and takes a lot of time out of your schedule, but this is important to me and it's something that I can get not only get behind, but really enjoy, as well."

    The name of McCarty's foundation references an often-heard refrain from Celtics legend and current sportscaster, Tommy Heinsohn, who follows up every McCarty dunk, steal, or block with, "I love Waltahhh!" At Celtics home games, there are "I Love Walter!" signs throughout the crowd and the sentiment is reciprocated by the man himself.

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  • Are Grants Worth the Effort?

    Mike Lawson | January 1, 2003

    Even the most ambitious fundraising campaigns can sometimes leave a music program short. When that happens, music directors have another option available to them: applying for grants to supplement their programs. Fundraising itself is an often stressful and time-consuming practice. And, many directors agree, so is the process of applying for grants. Does the effort expended yield enough of a reward in the end?

    In a recent SBO Survey, 60 percent of participating band and orchestra directors said they have applied for a grant to support their music programs at least once in their careers. The other 40 percent have never applied for a grant. But 65 percent said they plan to apply for a grant in the future, while 21 percent said they would not and 14 percent were undecided.

    The time-consuming nature and the hassle of grant-writing topped the list of reasons directors would not apply for grant funding, according to the survey. Fifty-eight percent of the survey participants reported that the time required to write lengthy pleas for additional funding is a discouraging factor. Thirty-two percent said they find it challenging to “jump through the hoops” required by many grant-makers.

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  • Web Spotlight: The Flash of Crimson Band

    Mike Lawson | May 1, 2002

    Spotlight on the Flash of Crimson Band
    URL: www.flashofcrimson.com

    "Flashy" would be one way to describe the Forsyth Central High School band's Web site. But, because the band is known as The Flash of Crimson Band, this tactic works well. Arguably, the flashiest part of the site is the introduction, with its intermittent spots of crimson, mounting trance music, and sweeping text building up to the official welcome to the site. The introduction culminates with the URL, www.FlashofCrimson.com, flashing onto the screen in a flicker of white. (Note: On slower computers, the effect is basically lost.)

    As the introduction stills, the word "PROCEED" appears at the bottom of the screen. (To the left, the words "Play Again?" offer visitors another chance to view the introduction.) At the right computer speed, the introduction does pass by in a flash, and it takes little effort - beyond clicking on "Play Again?" - to sit through the introduction a second time.

    Upon clicking the "PROCEED" button, the flashiness continues with swirls and flashes of crimson and a vertigo-like animation sequence that leads to the Web site's main page. Once there, the title of the page, "The Flash of Crimson Web," zips across the top in red script. The entire site follows a black and red color scheme.

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  • Web Spotlight: Special Edition

    Mike Lawson | April 1, 2002Requests for us to review school music Web sites have been pouring in to School Band and Orchestra magazine. With so many creative, innovative and fun sites out there, it made sense to review more than one site in the annual Technology Issue of SBO. Without further ado, here are three outstanding sites that have […] Read More...
  • Web Spotlight: Pleasant Grove Marching Spartans

    Mike Lawson | January 1, 2002Spotlight on the Pleasant Grove Marching Spartans URL: www.pgband.com   A number of impressive Web sites have come our way in the past month, and it gets harder and harder to select only one to highlight. Please continue to send in your Web site URLs — we’ll feature as many sites as possible. Last month, […] Read More...
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