|  Frequently
Asked Questions
Why
is YOUR support of the Saratoga Music Boosters important?
How
long has the organization been in existence?
Who
utilizes the services of the organization and why?
What
is the purpose of the organization?
How
many people are served on an annual basis? In what manner?
Why
is YOUR support of the Saratoga Music Boosters important?
Music programs are costly but worth it! Their value is both
to the students and the community. Research demonstrates the
important role music and the fine arts play in the development
of intelligence. But more than that, Mike Boitz, Instrumental
Music Director and his fellow music instrctors in our schools
believe: "We are striving to send-forth responsible and
tenacious human beings through the discipline of music."
The pride we feel when the award-winning Saratoga High School
and Redwood Middle School marching bands pass in parade along
Big Basin Way reminds us that "What its children become,
that will the community become."
The high
school has been providing the large, high cost instruments
(tubas, string bass, percussion, etc.) that were purchased
at the time the high school was constructed in 1968. Now,
coinciding with the major shortfall in California state education
funding is our need to begin the cycle of replacing many costly
30-year-old instruments that are either obsolete or beyond
repair. In addition, the need for instrument replacement comes
at a time when our school districts are undergoing rapid growth
in student population. Annually, we are averaging 11% more
students joining our highly-coveted and multi-faceted music
programs. We do not want students to be turned away because
of lack of instruments, equipment, staff, and supplies.
Saratoga
Music Boosters tirelessly work to fund:
Scholarships; elementary grades band and orchestra staff
Instruments
and repair; sheet music, tapes, software
Marching,
color guard, and ID uniforms, cleaning, and alterations
Equipment
transporters, sound-systems, equipment storage cabinets
Aerobic
floors, color guard flags and equipment
Staff specialists
for color guard and percussion students during competitive
seasons
How
long has the organization been in existence?
The Saratoga Music Boosters organization was formed in 1973
by Craig Northrup, Music Director of Saratoga High School,
to assist the band in attending the Vienna International Youth
and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria
Who
utilizes the services of the organization and why?
SMB services all students, grades K-8, in the three Saratoga
Union School Districts elementary schools (Foothill, Argonaut,
and Saratoga), Redwood Middle School, and all students (grades
9-12) at Saratoga High School (Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High
School District). California state funds for public school
music programs were cut in 1985 which has necessitated supplemental
funding from SMB ever since.
What
is the purpose of the organization?
The purpose of Saratoga Music Boosters is two-fold:
To financially
support the program needs of the schools' Music Directors
that are not funded and/or staffed by their school districts,
in order to insure top quality music programs for all students.
To help
the Music Directors send forth thoughtful, responsible, and
tenacious human beings through the discipline of music.
How
many people are served on an annual basis? In what manner?
Audiences in Saratoga, Santa Clara County, and at competitions
throughout Northern and Southern California, including Disneyland,
have enjoyed the award-winning musical talents of our students.
Whether it is the fourth and fifth graders in our District
Chorus performing at Odd Fellows or Hakone Gardens, or our
competitive marching bands, orchestras, and ensemble groups
that are performing regionally, these students regularly receive
top marks for their good manners, team work, and school spirit
as well as musicianship.
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