Unless you’re a parent, it’s understandable if your eyes glaze over when you hear the words “middle school concert.” But what if this concert is a joyful two-day, three-concert music festival at Holicong Middle School, with hundreds of performers and 2,400 spectators? And what if this Central Bucks School District event raises more than $50,000 a year for the Save The Music Foundation? How about if all proceeds from this year’s concerts go to the School District of Philadelphia?

Welcome to the CB Save The Music concert, a community event that celebrates its 20^th anniversary with one show Friday, January 27^th, and two shows on Saturday, January 28^th. This celebration of music will feature more than 30 faculty members and 12 student groups for a sometimes raucous, sometimes soulful, series of concerts.

CB Save The Music was the brainchild of Holicong Band Director Joel Chodoroff and Holicong Choir Director Jim Glaser, whose personal connections and love of music stretch back to the same Council Rock high school. When they joined forces at Holicong, they started with a simple goal.

“We wanted to put on a concert so that our students could see what is possible with hard work and practice,” Chodoroff says. “We figured there would be a few people who would be willing to come and see it, but making it a charitable event might draw even more people.”

Chodoroff and Glaser consider themselves lucky that Tamanend Middle School Choir Director Ian Sanchez, Holicong Orchestra Director Jennifer Repper, and Holicong Special Education Teacher Amanda Romig have joined the “brain trust” of the concert.  “Without the creative energy of all 5 of us, the concert would definitely not be what it is today,” Chodoroff says.

What resulted from their collective creativity was ultimately a partnership with the Save The Music Foundation.  Save The Music’s mission is to help students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music. As the leading music education nonprofit in the country, Save The Music invests in communities by donating instruments and music technology, providing support services for teachers, and advocating for music education.

At the first Save The Music concert, the team passed the hat and raised a “touch under $500,” Chodoroff says. Over time, CB Save The Music ballooned to a massive production and the biggest single publicly organized fundraising event affiliated with the national foundation. Last year, the concert raised nearly $53,000, pushing its grand total to more than $300,000.

Money raised by the concert has helped establish music programs in under-resourced school districts across the country. Schools in New Orleans, Newark, NJ, and the Mississippi Delta Region among others that can now offer students an instrumental music experience thanks to the CBSTM partnership.

“Save The Music is immensely grateful for the Central Bucks music educators and their commitment to empowering their students and community through music and performance,” says Zack Flores, senior director of marketing for Save The Music. “Their dedication over the last 20 years of raising awareness and resources to ensure every student has equitable access to music education is truly inspiring.”

This year is even more special to the concert’s cast and crew as all proceeds will go to the School District of Philadelphia.

“Being able to help out so close to home definitely means a lot to us,” Chodoroff says. “Most of us have Philly roots. The sheer number of excited responses I got when I said it was home game – that the money was going to the School District of Philadelphia – was awesome.”

“We tell our students all the time just how fortunate they are to be in a district that values and supports the arts,” he says. “It’s important to remind them that it is not like that everywhere.”

As Jim Glaser says, “we want to teach them the value of always looking out for others and about the importance of paying it forward.”

It’s also a great concert.

This year’s song list, spread over the three shows, includes many of the greatest hits from the past 20 years, including a Broadway medley from shows such as Wicked, Hairspray and Lion King; classic rock hits from the Who and Led Zeppelin; a James Bond medley, a tribute to The Sound of Philadelphia, and artists such as Billy Joel and the Charlie Daniels Band.

“Pick just about any genre, and it’s there,” Chodoroff says.

Thirty-two adult musicians will perform, along with 300 students from 12 student groups at six CBSD schools.  While in many ways it is a rock concert atmosphere, the underlying mission – for the performers and the audience alike -- is never far from mind. 

“This is really about how we, in our own way, can help guarantee that every student has access to a quality music education,” he says.  “We get to see the benefits of music education every day and believe that every student deserves access. We also want students to see the joy that can be had playing music, performing music, and experiencing live music.

For more information about the concert, which is sponsored by Café with Soul, or to purchase remaining tickets, please visit the CB Save The Music website at https://www.cbsd.org/stm.

 

About Save The Music Foundation:

Save The Music Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music. For 25 years, Save The Music (STM) has addressed the systemic inequities in music education by investing in culturally rich communities across the U.S. Since its inception, STM has donated nearly $70M worth of instruments and technology to over 2,500 schools – impacting millions of students' lives in hundreds of communities nationwide. And we're just getting started! Learn more at savethemusic.org

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*Watch the 25th Anniversary video here