And with the cooperation of the school district, says Ratick, the group has taken over producing the programs for the school concerts, raising money for music education by selling advertisements for local businesses and printing them in the concert programs. The group also successfully raised funds by selling bleacher seat cushions funded entirely by ads from local businesses printed on one side of the cushions, she says. “We promote local business and they support our endeavors.”
The group meets on the first Thursday of every month from 7-8 p.m., but while the meetings are open to everyone, attending meetings is optional for members, says Ratick. “People are so pressured with time constraints and we understand that there’s just not enough time to get to all the meetings there are out there, so we’ve tried to open up the membership through technology.”
At this time there are approximately 150 active members, Ratick says, who have signed up to be on the e-mail contact list. “After we have a meeting, we send out a monthly newsletter, and they receive e-mails from us about what we need help for and what’s coming up.” The group also maintains a Facebook page as well as that link on the Highland Central School District website, where parents can discover resources and receive regular updates.
Funds raised by the group go toward defraying the costs of events such as the NYSSMA Majors, which Ratick explains is an annual assessment program open to music performance students in grades four through 12, in which students’ musical abilities are evaluated and scored by a panel of adjudicators. High scores enable the student eligibility to perform in all-county and all-state festivals, and may help when it comes time for the competitive college application process. The program is only open to students of schools that have performance programs, Ratick adds, “another reason why it’s so important that we keep the programs we have.”
Fundraising also affords students additional performance opportunities, field trips and awards or scholarships.
The Highland Music Boosters have benefitted from the volunteer services of community members like Vittoria Sprague, who designed the group’s attractive logo, and local attorney Stu Weiss, who provided his services to the group at no charge to navigate the extensive paperwork and complicated process of achieving 501 (c) (3) nonprofit status.
“By having that nonprofit status, it enables us to venture forward to do some grant writing for things we might not have been able to do otherwise,” says Ratick, “like instrument programs or bringing in residencies or master classes.”
With regard to grants, Ratick says they’re working with the school music departments to find out what their needs are. “We’re in the process of researching grant opportunities from both ends; what the music departments see as a direct need that can benefit the most students versus what’s out there and what we can apply for.”
And along with asking the community’s support for the music programs, HMB makes an effort to give back, as well. The “Giving Tree” event held during the winter concert season is one example, in which HMB decorated a Christmas tree in the lobby of the auditorium with musical note ornaments signifying donations people made, and then donated half of what they received back into the community. The Giving Tree raised $500, and HMB donated $250 of that to Ulster County Community Action Highland Outreach, who fund things like school supplies, food and winter coats for families in need in the Highland area.
Ratick is a longtime resident of Highland, recently retired after 32 years as a public school music educator. She has a son in the music program at Highland High School. The other board members, vice-president Maria Peterson, secretary Kit Kassel and treasurer Caren Sullivan, also have music backgrounds and children in the music programs of the Highland Central School District.
The music education programs are utilized by many students, says Ratick, more than one might realize. “Last year we kept track of numbers, and based on age groups that are allowed to participate in a band or choral program [fourth grade or older], approximately one third of that population was involved in a performance group in Highland. Music education affects a lot of students.”
For more information, e-mail [email protected], visit the Highland Central School District website at www.highland-k12.org (the link is under “quick links” on the home page) or visit www.Facebook.com/HighlandMusicBoosters.
