“The sound of music filled The Castle in Canadian Lakes on Saturday as the community came together to support the Chippewa Hills School District orchestra program” in north-central Michigan, writes Karin Armbruster in Monday’s (3/24) Pioneer (Big Rapids, Michigan; subscription required). “The [fundraising] event stemmed from district budget cuts that led to the cancellation of the 52-year-old orchestra curriculum. Members of the [nonprofit] Chippewa Hills Orchestral Society, many of whom are program alums, are trying their best to keep it alive through community donations and support. … Conductor Brittany Brewster believes the program is incredibly important, especially as Chippewa Hills is one of two districts in the area that offers orchestra for students…. ‘It gives them the opportunity to perform in something different than marching band and choir.’ … Will Beers, a junior at Chippewa Hills High School, has been playing cello for about seven years… ‘I love the program because I have a deep passion for the music,’ he said. ‘If we didn’t have it, it would be disastrous for me.’ … Society members hoped to raise at least $10,000” from Saturday’s fundraiser. “They have raised almost $40,000 in the last year and a half.”
Posted March 28, 2014
