Friends of Watertown Music Seeks Donations to Help the Town Schools

The Friends of Watertown Music sent out the following announcement:

Dear Friends,

As you know, Friends of Watertown Music was formed in the summer of 2011 in response to severe budget cuts in the Watertown Public Schools music program.  Since then, through the generosity of our donors, we have awarded three major grants and several small grants totaling over $18,000 to the Watertown Public Schools in order to expand and enhance music instruction. 

As this year comes to a close, won’t you please consider joining us in our efforts to continue to enrich, sustain, and develop the music program in the Watertown Public Schools. We have five donor levels:  Soprano (up to $25), Alto ($50), Tenor ($75), Bass ($100) or Conductor ($250 or more) and your generous contribution will be acknowledged in our fifth Annual MusicFest program book. (Save the date:  April 8, 2016!) You can donate with PayPal or any credit card on our website:  http://watertownmusic.org/, or checks may be sent to Friends of Watertown Music, 43 Paul St., Watertown, MA 02472

Thank you all for your support,

Friends of Watertown Music

Highlights from 2015:

• In September, Friends of Watertown Music presented a grant of $5830 to the Watertown Public Schools to fund a 0.1 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) increase in music instruction, allowing the Cunniff School to offer adaptive music at the elementary level, providing a more accessible experience and connection to music for all students.
• The district restored the Fine, Applied, and Performing Arts (FAPA) curriculum coordinator position for FY16.   With our 2015 grant, the department now has an additional 1.2 FTE positions for the 2015-16 school year.
• Friends of Watertown Music was awarded a grant of $2250 from the Watertown Community Foundation and purchased a new hanging cymbal, violin, viola, and elementary-sized string bass for students to play!
• Despite the snow, a great 4^th Annual MusicFest was held in early March!

More exciting announcements to come – stay tuned!

Upcoming Highlights for 2016:

• Our 5^th Annual MusicFest will be on Friday, April 8, 2016 at Watertown Middle School.  We expect daffodils to be blooming!  Please consider performing, recruiting performers amongst your musician friends, or volunteering. Follow us on Facebook for updates.
• Friends of Watertown Music is still accepting instrument donations.  Please contact us at HelloWatertownMusic@gmail.com if you have an instrument you would like to donate.

Friends of Watertown Music, Inc., incorporated in 2014, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  All donations are fully tax deductible within the limits of the law.