As the school year enters the season of concerts, Aliso Niguel High School’s orchestra is having a fundraiser through donations and fundraisers at fast food restaurants. These donations not only help to purchase instruments, but also allow for more music opportunities such as concerts.
The orchestra is only given 500 dollars from the district, proving insufficient to run the program throughout the year. Although there is no official goal, the orchestra is seeking to raise enough money to be able to provide the students the best learning experience and deliver as many concerts as possible.
At a concert held in the gym earlier this month, the orchestra delivered an outstanding performance to parents, family and teachers. They demonstrated their passion, talent and hard work for the orchestra. This performance shows what is to come in the future, and donations can help create more opportunities for these concerts.
Mr. Chen, director of the orchestra program, says that these donations help “offset cost for festivals, transportation, supply and instruments.”
With dedicated students ranging from freshmen to seniors, the lack of funding takes a toll on their ability to grow as artists.
Darian Alavi (11) shares, “Being part of orchestra has helped me learn, not only the viola, but also skills that go beyond music like collaboration and leadership.” Being part of an orchestra teaches students skills that are beneficial all throughout life.
The first of several fundraisers will be on Oct 25 at Raise and Canes from 11-9. The second fundraiser will be held on Nov 13th at Habit Burger and Grill.
When asked about the goal of these fundraisers, Mr. Chen replied that they want to “take the minimum amount needed donation-wise and … want the focus to mainly be on the music.”
Evelyn Clasquin (11) adds that she loves being part of the orchestra community and hopes that these donations will help have a greater impact on their learning and leadership.
Any amount of donations will greatly benefit the orchestra and hopefully, they can deliver even more outstanding performances to spread the love for music.
