SR-01-22-2013-13FJanuary 22, 2013
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE - MEMORANDUM
To: City Council
From: Councilmember McKeown
Date: January 22, 2013
13 -F: Request of Councilmember McKeown that the Council allocate $8,000 from
the Council contingency fund as a matching grant to the Santa Monica Arts
Parents Association, a SMMUSD- independent 501(c)3, to spur further
fundraising to help cover the expenses for students from lower- income
families to participate in the Santa Monica High School Wind Ensemble's
March 2013 concert in historic Chicago Symphony Hall, at the Chicago
International Music Festival, to which the Ensemble has been invited as a
featured performer.
January, 16, 2013
Dear Council Members,
w4rdwe
Item 13 -F
01/22/13
601 Pico
Santa Monica, CA 90405
samohiband.org
Kevin McKeown, Director of Bands
Terry Sakow, Director of Bands
For the first time in 6 years, The Santa Monica High School Wind Ensemble, is
preparing for a tour. Finally! We have been invited to play in the 2013 Chicago
International Music Festival which will take place this March in historic Chicago
Symphony Hall. This tour will be a rich educational experience and will show case the
outstanding music program in the Santa Monica - Malibu Public Schools. Our
outstanding students will indeed be ambassadors for the City of Santa Monica.
High School bands are generally relegated to daytime performances but after hearing
the mature sound of our Wind Ensemble, we were invited to play in the evening
program with the college bands. We will be the only high school band in the evening
program. And, as if that wasn't enough, Chris Martin, principal trumpet for the Chicago
Symphony, will be performing the Artounian Trumpet Concerto with our Wind Ensemble.
As some of you may know, The Chicago Symphony performed much of the music for
Steven Spielberg's hit film, "Lincoln" and it is Chris Martin whose trumpet solos you hear
throughout the film. In addition to the performance opportunities on this trip, the group
will travel to Northwestern University and enjoy a masterclass with the world- renowned
teacher and band director, Dr. Mallory Thompson. This truly is the opportunity of a
lifetime.
The Concert Bands lay claim to some of the most accomplished students at SAMOHI.
An astonishing 86% of them matriculate directly into competitive four -year institutions,
compared to the 55% of SAMOHI students overall, and 20% of California public school
students. These kids should be celebrated. The SAMOHI Wind Ensemble has 58
members, many of whom have been able to put enough money aside to pay for this trip.
However, a small number of talented and deserving students, need our assistance. To
help defray these travel expenses, the Band Parents Association is vigorously
fundraising in hopes of closing the gap. We have just completed a Practice- A -Thon and
are planning a gala event at the Broad Stage on February 27th to raise funds. We are
also asking that each student do his or her own personal letter writing campaign to
offset their trip costs. But the price tag for our scholarship students and the cost of
sending the required administrators, chaperones and instruments, is still very high and
we anticipate a need of $16,000 to meet our goal. We are here to ask for half of that
amount and your blessing. We hope that a City "matching grant" will prompt others to
We are part of the Santa Monica Arts Parents Association, a 501(c)(3) non - profit organization: Tax ID Numbe 95- 2563339.
donate and will be used to help our 501 c3, The Santa Monica Arts Parents Association -
SAMOHI Bands, underwrite the costs for students whose lower- income families can't
make the payments themselves, insuring that all members of the Wind Ensemble will be
able to participate.
The benefits of this trip to the larger community are many. In addition to making
beautiful music, the students tour experiences go viral, inspiring others to reach for the
top. And we are always raising the profile of the SAMOHI Band Program showing the
community that through their commitment to music and arts education, great things
happen. We will be preparing a video with photographs and concert music from the tour
to thank the Council and the City of Santa Monica for their support and will proudly
recap our trip at our Spring Pops concert.
We are finally ready to share this extraordinarily talented group of musicians with the
world as other SAMOHI performing groups have. Band Director Terry Sakow is excited
for this opportunity and Kevin McKeown, our incredible new Band Director, came
through the door at the right time! Both agree that this year's band, recognized as one
of the best in the state of California, is ready.
We hope that the City Council will recognize these outstanding, diligent, hard - working
student musicians and show them with this gift that they are valued members of our
community and a credit to the City of Santa Monica. From the bottom of our tubas,
thank you!
Sincerely,
Robb Brown
Santa Monica High School Band Parents Association
Fundraising Chair
We are pad of the Santa Monica Arts Parents Association, a 501(c)(3) non - profit organization: Tax ID Number 95- 2503339.