September 13, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Musicians and educators from the Oregon Symphony will immerse themselves in Coos County throughout the 2004-2005 season as part of a Community Music Partnership (CMP) with the North Bend School District. The year-long partnership, the largest and most significant education program offered by the Symphony, pairs students and educators with the Symphony’s extensive roster of musicians and staff to strengthen existing programs while integrating new arts programming into the curriculum. CMP funding is provided by the Ford Family Foundation, the Jeld-Wen Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oregon Cultural Trust.
“ North Bend's application demonstrated the highest level of commitment and readiness for a successful partnership,” said Vice President of Education and Community Engagement Michael Kosmala. “It is clear that music is a priority for the whole school district and that there is a strong desire for the impact of the partnership to extend to the residents of all of Coos County.”
The partnership is expected to result in more than 200 music education events and activities throughout Coos County, including youth and community concerts by the Oregon Symphony, while helping to establish stronger music programs for the future, he added.
“We are excited that the North Bend School District has been selected,” said Michael Struiksma, Superintendent of Schools in North Bend. “It is a great opportunity for the children of the District to benefit from this year-long partnership with the Oregon Symphony.
“Hearing a recording of a symphony pales in comparison to the opportunity that our children will have to hear the symphony in person, interact with musicians, and experience the culture of a musical organization,” added Struiksma. “We are thrilled that our students will have this experience.”
North Bend, located just north of Coos Bay on the Oregon coast, has a significant number of community arts organizations and resources already in place whose infrastructure can be used to build on and create new alliances both within North Bend and with arts organizations throughout Coos County, said Kosmala. That infrastructure, combined with the readiness demonstrated in the district’s application, led to North Bend’s selection.
Communities west of the Cascades (the CMP alternates its sites east and west of the Cascades each year) with populations of 30,000 or fewer were eligible to apply; last season’s partnership was with Redmond, Ore.
“The CMP goal is to have a lasting impact on music education in Oregon’s rural communities,” said Kosmala. “The Symphony’s role is to act as a catalyst, connecting Symphony resources with the community’s existing goals for arts education in its schools. Another important component is the development of sustainability plans for the future.”
Kosmala and his team are now working with a North Bend Steering Committee to identify North Bend’s goals and to plan partnership activities. Symphony musicians are expected to begin monthly visits to North Bend in January; the orchestra concerts are scheduled for May of 2005. Professional development for Coos County teachers, offered by the Symphony through Portland State University’s extension program, will begin this fall.
