SMB FAQS
Why is YOUR support of SMB 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, Jason Shiuan and Michael Boitz (SHS Instrumental Music Directors) and their fellow music instructors 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 perform 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:
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 band and color guard 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 SMB and why?
SMB services all students grades 4-5 in the three Saratoga Union School District's elementary schools (Foothill, Argonaut, and Saratoga), all students grades 6-8 at 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 SMB?
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.