The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony

The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Elizabeth Tirado HSM/270 5/14/2011 Arin Norris The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Overview of the Program The Santa Rosa Symphony was founded in 1927 with 35 musicians playing at the local Elks Club. In October of 1994, the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony (SRPYS) was formed. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony has been providing musical training and performance opportunities for young musicians, ranging from ages as young as nine to 23. For over 50 years. The education programs of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Symphony are made possible by the many committed people to ensuring music is available to the young people of Sonoma County. The mission of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is to inspire the residents with finest musical performances and educational program while maintaining organizational strength, fiscal responsibility and community service. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Outreach Program includes; free concerts for the youth of the community, bringing music to elementary schools that do not have a music program, and performing for the elderly who might not have the ability to leave their homes to attend concerts. Music can have a huge impact on a child’s future and can help to improve their self-esteem and leadership skills. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony educates and helps young musicians improve on their skills which enable them to achieve their highest potential and appreciation for classical music. The auditions for the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony are held every year in June. Many young musicians participate, but few are accepted into the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. Those students that are accepted face a challenging and difficult repertoire. Excellence in leadership is rewarded with scholarships. The young musician that is accepted will obtain lessons on professionalism, education, and integrity The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony that will continue even after the student’s completion of the music program. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony along with local and regional music and arts organizations show in a planned effort the importance of music and arts in all levels of education and government. Finding Your Target Population The target population of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is the young musician who live in the Santa Rosa county; especially those who have musical experience. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is a non-profit, performing arts, community based organization. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony relies on donor support to fund and maintain its musical, educational, and community programs. The National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Sonoma County Advertising Fund, and the City of Santa Rosa are among the donors of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. Local businesses can show their support by contributing flyers and posting concert performances. Needs and Assessments The central focus of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is to inspire young musicians to appreciate the musical arts, develop self-esteem and leadership qualities, enrich the quality of life for the Santa Rosa community, and form bonds with fellow students and staff members that may last a lifetime. The youth of the community has the opportunity to be supported by not only the faculty, but the facility, which allows the youth to achieve their dreams. Both qualitative and quantitative methods show where the program needs improving, what the program is doing to make the improvements, and input on what the stakeholders expectation are for the program. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Whether the organization is for profit or non-profit, large or small funding is always a problem. To overcome the dilemma of funding, the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony relies on donor support to continue the mission statement. The grant the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony receives from organizations provides the community and schools with free concerts. Local and regional business donors can enrich their business by investing in the cultural environment of the community. The support from staff, families of students and volunteers who help to make the program successful are ever present to assist in any fashion that will benefit the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. There will always be needs that have to be met, the problem is the cost. Due to budget cuts nationwide, the students in the Santa Rosa and Sonoma County area who attend elementary and middle school have lost their music department, which leaves the student without the opportunity to appreciate, learn, and gather knowledge of music. Students must wait until they reach high school or college to participate in any music program; unless the student has been tutored privately, which is costly, the student will most likely lose interest in music. If the school has not any music program or offer after school activities for the student, that student will find other ways to occupy their time. Many students will succumb to negative influences such as gangs and drugs if there is a lack of positive activities for the student to participate in. The concern of community leaders and members was the lack of music programs would set students behind other students who attend schools that have an active music program. Since The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony any families cannot afford private music lessons for their children, a project was developed which educates students and supports music education, appreciation, and motivate students to fulfill their potential. Not all young musicians that audition are accepted. For those musicians that are not chosen for enrollment are still able to participate in other aspects of the program. Their involvement will keep the musician interested and open up new opportunities to learn different types of music while still practicing their own music skills. Planning and Developing If you were to ask any staff member of an organization how they feel about program planning, there would be many unhappy faces. Program planning is by far the hardest task of developing an effective program that will please the stakeholders. This process is known as being time-consuming, labor intensive and undesirable assignment with many hours of staff time involved. Some organization hire outside evaluators, while some organizations have in house evaluators. Program planning answers the questions of who’s, what’s, when’s why, where’s, and how’s of a program. The writing of a program plan must be clear and concise, define the mission, goals, and objectives of the program that will satisfy the stakeholders. Once the program plan is submitted, a funding source must be found, the needs and problems organized, and an evaluation plan is implemented to ensure that the program is doing what they set out to do and continue to meet the needs of the target population. Once the budget is established, most programs will address the issue of staff recruitment and the hiring and training of new staff members. It is in the best interest of the program to hire individuals that have experience and knowledge of what the program wants to accomplish. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony When staff member have the knowledge of the program’s mission and are enthusiastic, the program will prosper. The target population is identified through surveys and input from the community and school officials. Student participation can be useful in evaluating the program, since the program already has community support. As with some businesses, they are only as good as their reputation. Word-of-mouth can be a valuable tool. Recruiting students who have not been exposed to classical music can be easily done through the program outreach efforts. These outreach efforts include complimentary tickets given to school music teachers and their students, bringing free concerts to the elderly and homebound members of the community, and performing concerts for the disadvantage youth of the community. The program is also partners with elementary schools in bringing music to the music experience to schools that have lost their music program. Staff members and students are also evaluated by progress reports and attendance records filled out by their instructors. The evaluation report of the program is available on a bi-annual basis and is reviewed by staff members, community leaders, and members of the Board of Directors. This evaluation is done to reassure that the program is continuing to meet their mission, goals, and objectives. Alternative Funding For any organization, funding will always be a problem. As mention previously, the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony concerts are made possible by grants, private and individual donors. Members of the community, families of students, local and regional The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony businesses and the general public are some of the donors that make the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony successful. Funding has become difficult, due to the budget cuts, the closing of many contributing business, and the closing of music program in the elementary and high schools in the area. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony can apply for government and corporate grants, but it is important to consider alternate funding. Annual tuition only pays for a portion of what it takes to operate the youth symphonies. The annual event fund raiser, sales of candy at the concerts, and holding benefit concerts for the community might carry the symphony into the future, but applying for grants for non-traditional sources may be the most productive way to fund the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. One obstacle that the youth symphony faces is students that cannot afford their own instruments. Approaching other musical organizations and manufactures of musical instruments for support in supplying needy students with instruments is an investment that can benefit both the program and the donors. Process and Developing The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony has been involved with classical music since 1994. Today, the students that attend the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony face the same challenges as their predecessors. Facing these challenges allows the student to grow and learn to conquer whatever obstacles they may face in their present and in their future. Some of the staff members have taking additional training to assist the students that are new to the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony program. On some occasions the program may require a bigger facility for their larger orchestras. Communication is important when developing a The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony program that will meet the needs of the students and the community. The biggest obstacles that the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony faces today is finding a committed funding source that will allow the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony to continue to provide for their existing and future programs. As with any organization, without proper funding the program will collapse under the financial strain. Summary The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is dedicated to providing young musicians with orchestral training and performance opportunities of the highest caliber. The goal of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is for young musicians to develop an awareness and appreciation of classical music, while providing the community with enriching educational and cultural experiences. Most music programs, especially in poorer sections, have been cut because of lack of funding. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony brings music to those who do not have access to music programs by giving free concerts and giving complimentary tickets to schools that have lost their music department. Music is an important aspect in a person’s life. Most people can tell you where they were when they hear a specific song. Music can transform a person’s mood. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony program would benefit greatly if they utilize and keep an open mind to new ideas and teaching techniques. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony References â€Å"Neilson Scholar for 1974†, Journal of School Health, 01/1975. www. santarosasymphony. com