Orchestra Booster Club is a parent-supported, volunteer driven organization that literally boosts and enhances our children's experience of being an orchestra member. Funding for the group initially comes from membership fees paid at the beginning of the school year by parents of our orchestra students. There are different levels of memberships ranging from $5 Bronze Single to $100 Gold membership. Further funding for our organization comes from donations & fundraising activities which take place throughout the school year.
The CCISD budget for music in education is really not sufficient to provide all the extras that an orchestra needs to be successful. Orchestra is one of the most expensive departments in the school with some school-owned, essential instruments, such as Cellos and Basses costing thousands of dollars. Buying just one new instrument can sometimes swallow the orchestra budget for a whole year.
Orchestra Booster club is there to provide those little extras, such as uniforms and funds to pay for the costs and expensive fees associated with competitions. Most competitions have expensive entrance fees which the school district does not provide funds for. Competitions are an excellent way of heightening a young musician's awareness of the skills required to perform successfully. The student experiences: the thrill of playing in a large auditorium; watching, listening and comparing themselves to other orchestras; concert etiquette; the importance of practicing to improve technique and sound and on top of everything else they have a really good time. Most of this could not happen without Orchestra Booster support.
Orchestra Boosters also provide good quality and comfortable transport on the long distance trips to Texas RenFest, Galveston & San Antonio as well as provide refreshments or meals for the students at many events and activities.
One of the biggest benefits of Orchestra Booster Club is the provision of uniforms to our Philharmonic, Symphony & Chamber Orchestra students. Beginner Orchestra are required to wear white dress shirts & black dress pants/black skirt during performances. Being in correct concert dress is an essential part of being involved in major orchestra competitions. We the Booster Club provide bow ties and cummerbunds for boys and concert dresses for girls. A small rental and cleaning fee is required that will cover the entire school year. Each year our orchestra is getting bigger & bigger and because a single dress costs $65, you can see how that can be a huge cost. The uniforms are distributed during November and usually returned after the Spring Concert. Measurements will be taken and necessary alterations will be made to ensure all our uniforms fit satisfactorily. All of our students look so grown up when you see them for the first time in their concert dress!
The Orchestra Booster Club Officers is a group of volunteer parents who meet at a minimum of once a semester with our orchestra director(s). Additional meetings will be scheduled if needed. Think of it like a mini PTA but specifically for the benefit of our Orchestra. There's ALWAYS a lot to discuss on the agenda. Our main focus is on providing a meaningful and fulfilling experience for our orchestra students. Being in orchestra can be a life-changing event for many students. Even if they decide not to study music in later life, they will have developed a lifelong skill of reading music and playing an instrument along with an appreciation of music itself. They will never forget the special time they experienced in the Orchestra. It’s second to none!
Just to recap, fundraising is put in place to help pay for essentials such as:
Officers are elected at the end of each school year. If you think you may be interested in holding one of the officer positions next year, please contact one of our current officers.
We ALWAYS need volunteers and chaperones for every concert or event the orchestras are involved in. Please contact our Orchestra President if you have any questions about volunteer opportunities. Visit our CHARMS website to view upcoming events.
The CCISD budget for music in education is really not sufficient to provide all the extras that an orchestra needs to be successful. Orchestra is one of the most expensive departments in the school with some school-owned, essential instruments, such as Cellos and Basses costing thousands of dollars. Buying just one new instrument can sometimes swallow the orchestra budget for a whole year.
Orchestra Booster club is there to provide those little extras, such as uniforms and funds to pay for the costs and expensive fees associated with competitions. Most competitions have expensive entrance fees which the school district does not provide funds for. Competitions are an excellent way of heightening a young musician's awareness of the skills required to perform successfully. The student experiences: the thrill of playing in a large auditorium; watching, listening and comparing themselves to other orchestras; concert etiquette; the importance of practicing to improve technique and sound and on top of everything else they have a really good time. Most of this could not happen without Orchestra Booster support.
Orchestra Boosters also provide good quality and comfortable transport on the long distance trips to Texas RenFest, Galveston & San Antonio as well as provide refreshments or meals for the students at many events and activities.
One of the biggest benefits of Orchestra Booster Club is the provision of uniforms to our Philharmonic, Symphony & Chamber Orchestra students. Beginner Orchestra are required to wear white dress shirts & black dress pants/black skirt during performances. Being in correct concert dress is an essential part of being involved in major orchestra competitions. We the Booster Club provide bow ties and cummerbunds for boys and concert dresses for girls. A small rental and cleaning fee is required that will cover the entire school year. Each year our orchestra is getting bigger & bigger and because a single dress costs $65, you can see how that can be a huge cost. The uniforms are distributed during November and usually returned after the Spring Concert. Measurements will be taken and necessary alterations will be made to ensure all our uniforms fit satisfactorily. All of our students look so grown up when you see them for the first time in their concert dress!
The Orchestra Booster Club Officers is a group of volunteer parents who meet at a minimum of once a semester with our orchestra director(s). Additional meetings will be scheduled if needed. Think of it like a mini PTA but specifically for the benefit of our Orchestra. There's ALWAYS a lot to discuss on the agenda. Our main focus is on providing a meaningful and fulfilling experience for our orchestra students. Being in orchestra can be a life-changing event for many students. Even if they decide not to study music in later life, they will have developed a lifelong skill of reading music and playing an instrument along with an appreciation of music itself. They will never forget the special time they experienced in the Orchestra. It’s second to none!
Just to recap, fundraising is put in place to help pay for essentials such as:
- uniforms
- fees and expensive costs associated with major competitions
- funding toward new instruments or repairs
- offering financial assistance to underprivileged children
- refreshments/meals at all major special events
Officers are elected at the end of each school year. If you think you may be interested in holding one of the officer positions next year, please contact one of our current officers.
We ALWAYS need volunteers and chaperones for every concert or event the orchestras are involved in. Please contact our Orchestra President if you have any questions about volunteer opportunities. Visit our CHARMS website to view upcoming events.