March 21, 2014
READ BEFORE WATCHING.
Bloomington, IN – The Whiteland Community High School Jazz Band has been selected as a finalist for the Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival held in New York City. This competition honors jazz legend Duke Ellington, and it is a prestigious honor to be invited. Only fifteen high school jazz bands are selected each year, and the state of Indiana has only been represented once in the past. The students will have the opportunity to work with jazz professionals one-on-one and compete on the biggest stage over a five day period.
This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these talented students and they are all very excited. The only problem is the trip will cost approximately $18,000 in order to take all the students. This includes all costs the students would have while in New York. These costs were not planned so it can be difficult for some families to cover the amount. That is where we come in. TASUS has donated to the trip and become an official trip sponsor. Help us spread the word and raise enough money for this group of talented musicians to be able to attend the competition.
Whiteland Community High School will be hosting a benefit concert to help raise the money on Saturday April 12th in the high school’s auditorium. The high school jazz band, as well as a few local jazz bands, will perform. Donations can be made at the event, but if you cannot attend there are other ways to donate. You can send check or money order to Whiteland Community High School c/o Mr. Pete Sampson, 300 Main Street, Whiteland, IN 46184. If you would like to pay with credit card you can go to the Band Webpage or their Go Fund Me page. The Whiteland Band Boosters are a registered non-profit organization so all donations are tax deductible.
The video above shows the real reaction these talented musicians had when hearing the good news for the first time. Thank you for the support and we hope you join us in sponsoring this trip.
