Pops Concert will support Sisters music

The town of Sisters has often been described as “artsy and vibrant.” From the Sisters Quilt Show, to SFF Presents, to Sisters Arts Association events, the activities held in this small town embody these descriptions.

The Sisters School District music program aims to expose students to the arts. The band program at Sisters High School showcases this priority. The SHS Jazz Band has an admirable track record, winning the State Jazz Band Championships in 2022, attaining second place in 2023, and attending later this month in 2024.

However, recent conversations have been held concerning the additional support that the band program needs in order to keep functioning.

The band program only receives $1,000 per year — split between two bands, that equals $500 for each. Expenses for the band program, including each festival (competition), costs $300, plus an average expenditure of $1,500 for new music.

“One thousand dollars is a great start but we need more to be successful. We’re a worthwhile investment, the money the community invests is actionable and will be put to good use,” said SHS Band Director Kayla Golka.

Community members can support the band program through attending any concerts, including the upcoming Pops Concert on Wednesday, May 22. This event will showcase Sisters High School and Sisters Middle School bands, the SMS Fiddle Club, and soloists.

“An integral part of being a musician is having an audience,” said Golka. “Art is meant to be shared, the energy you can feel on stage when you have a large audience is so empowering…Sisters is a musical community, so we would like to invite them to attend more of our musical concerts.”

The concert will include five different basket raffles, with pre-purchasable tickets. The winners of the raffle will be awarded during the show. These baskets include everything from Sunday tickets to Big Ponderoo and Big Ponderoo swag donated by SFF Presents to a Haircare Basket plus three haircuts with Deri Frazee including 10-plus bottles of professional haircare products. All money raised will go towards the SHS Band Program.

“Band helped me find what music education and therapy is, it aided me in getting a scholarship to go to school…I’m also grateful for the family community that’s built in and outside of the classroom,” said senior Kendall Guiney.

Guiney is planning to go on to pursue music therapy at Pacific University.

“Music opportunities in the Sisters schools have provided a space for my son to connect creatively with his peers in a challenging and supportive environment…I think we should be proud of these students competing on a state level and support them with both our financial resources as well as showing up and giving them an audience,” said Meghan Flaherty — mother to Micah Dachtler, a junior at SHS who’s deeply involved in the band program, and plans to go to college to pursue music further.

Sign up for the raffle at https://tinyurl.com/shsbandraffle and attend the Pop’s Concert at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22 in the Sisters High School auditorium. This concert is free to attend, but attendees are encouraged to bring money for the raffle.