By Brenda Sexton
The Courier-Herald
When it comes to fundraising, there’s the traditional sale of cookie dough and wrapping paper, but the Enumclaw High School music department is taking a different approach this year.
The instrumental and vocal departments are teaming up to sell their music.
The double live CD “Two Nights in October” will debut Dec. 10. Under the direction of EHS teachers Lynda Alley and Paul Scott, it will feature 38 recordings from the Enumclaw High School band, orchestra and choir from a series of concerts performed over two evenings in October.
The CD will be accompanied by a bonus DVD and 24-page, full-color insert booklet called “The Making of Two Nights in October.” The two together will be a collection of music and visual memories from the Enumclaw High School bands, orchestra and choirs.
Alley and Scott called the effort genius.
“I think this is brilliant,” Alley said. “It helps kids focus on their music.”
“What a great opportunity,” Scott said while hosting masterminds Richard Maxwell and Mark Greenburg in his classroom Sept. 9.
Maxwell, a band and orchestra teacher for 11 years, and Greenburg, a businessman and parent of musicians, were on hand to explain how the program works and start filming. They put together the Arizona-based RM Project out of their own frustration. They knew there was a better way to display student talent and raise money.
“Kids should be selling their own work, or art work, and benefitting from that,” Greenburg said.
“It empowers the kids,” Maxwell said. “But they are also responsible.”
Showcasing student talent and selling it on a CD isn’t a new, but in this case, it’s professionally produced and distributed and there is no upfront money from the school.
“The worse case is they have a digital yearbook that captures this moment for them,” Maxwell said.
From an educational standpoint, Alley said it gives students ownership over their work.
“The kids are practicing like crazy and there’s never been a better fundraiser that encourages high achievement while at the same time addressing the necessary component of a program that is fundraising,” Alley noted. With more than 250 students participating in the two evenings, Alley said the CD is a tour de force from very accomplished student musicians.
Featured will be the EHS orchestra, wind ensemble, symphonic band, jazz band, camerata choir, chamber choir, concert choir and Hornet Band. Another CD is planned for the spring.
Scott and Alley are encouraging the community to be a part of the live recorded audience on those nights – Oct. 19 and 20.
The presale CD price is $30 until Oct. 15 through EHS instrumental and vocal students, and is available at https://www.spykillerrecords.com/enumclaw. A link is also available on Alley Swift Web site at http://swift.enumclaw.wednet.edu/ehs/lalley/index.php. Beginning Oct. 16, the price will increase to $40.
Once the CD debuts, it will be available to download online at places like iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster and Amazon.
The kids should get 45 percent of the sales. Money they will use the money to help pay for the cost of their upcoming trip to Disney World, where they will preform at Magic Music Days, and to outfit the orchestra in formal wear.
