Benham Project

With the help of several financial supporters including music merchants and vendors as well as high school band and choir boosters, we successfully raised $7000 for Dr. Benham’s consultation in Beaverton (April 30th – May 4th, 2012).

In spring, 2012 we launched an “Up to $25” campaign—asking every parent who has children engaged in the BSD music music program to donate up to $25 (tax deductible) to the project.  Of course, community members contributed more or less to the project, but the idea was to spread the participation and the responsibility for advocacy across the city.

Beaverton Friends of Music is a district-wide advocacy group — one of the first of it’s kind in Beaverton — and this fundraising effort was a tremendous opportunity to reinforce our unity as a coalition.  Folks who wished to contribute more than $100 were asked to consider contributing $25, then calling three friends and asking them to do the same.

We very much appreciated folks’ help with getting the word out about the important PUBLIC MEETING that took place on SATURDAY, MAY 4TH at SOUTHRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, where Dr. Benham presented the results of the BSD music program Status Report.  This was a meeting for all of Beaverton, but especially for parents whose children have been directly affected by the drastic cuts to our music program in 2012.

For the purposes of fundraising, we re-named the Benham project: “Save our Music — Beaverton”.  We’d like to thank the Oregon Music Education Association, a 501C3 charitable organization, for helping collect folks’ tax-deductible donations.

Dr. Benham’s work resulted in a 60-page Status Report.  The report may be read here.