Music budget gets a boost
Karen Peterson photo
Chase Wiley started playing music with the school in fifth grade.
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ARLEE – Music develops the mind.
“It helps you focus and learn to be patient and disciplined,” said Chase Wiley, junior in the Arlee High School Band.
Chase started playing music in the fifth grade with the school’s music program. The skills he learned are interchangeable with other subjects.
“In music, you learn that a quarter note is one fourth of a whole,” he said. “You can use those skills in math class.”
The school’s music program is affecting his future. Without it, he doesn’t know what he would be doing.
“I’m thinking about becoming a music teacher,” he said.
On Friday night, the Arlee Music Boosters – a group of parents, teachers and staff – set up an old fashioned soda fountain fundraiser to help earn funds to stretch the music department’s budget.
“Sometimes there isn’t enough money to fix instruments and buy things they need,” said Booster Club President Val Espinoza, who has been helping with the annual event 1984.
Music teacher Rebecca Pershouse Olson conducted the school’s choir and band while they played movie-themed songs during the event.
“It’s really easy to talk about the research about how good music is, but it’s also a big part of our culture,” she said. “The kids listen to it all day. We want to expose them to different styles.”
Darren Marks, 17, is a junior in the high school choir. He discovered his voice a few years ago after joining the program.
“I love singing,” he said. “I can’t explain why, it’s just one of my favorite things to do. I’m glad we have music at the school.”
