The Children’s Music Workshop provides some great information about the benefits of music education for youth.  The full article is here>>, but there were some key points I wanted to point out as our youth music organization works hard to prepare for our upcoming fundraiser on May 8th.  Click the flyer to the left to visit our homepage and purchase tickets. 

The article lists four areas where music education provides benefits.  It leads to Success in society, school, intelligence and life. 

Success in Society:  studies have shown that secondary school students who participated in band or orchestra report the lowest lifetime use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs.  It has a noticable impact on reducing teen violence.  Music study is credited with broadining understanding and appreciation of the world around you and stimulate and contribute to intellectual development.   The College Board in New York lists the arts as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college.  Most of the very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry area are, nearly without exception, also practicing musicians.

Success in School:  Success in school leads to success in society.  Learning music builds study skills, communication and cognitive skills.  Through participation in ensembles, students learn to work effectively in the school environment without resorting to violence or inappropriate behavior.  Music education leads to significantly higher levels of mathematics proficency, regardless of the student’s socio-economic status.  66% of music majors applying to medical school were accepted; the highest of any group; for example: 44% of biochemistry majors were accepted.  More high school students identify music teachers as role models than any other kind of teacher, and finally; students who participate in arts programs have shown significant increases in self-esteem and thinking skills.

Success in Developing Intelligence: 

Music training enhances brain function and fine motor skills.  The constant adjustments made for tone, tempo, style, rhythim, phrasing and feeling train the brain to organize quickly and multi-task.  Abstract reasoning skills (the skills needed to learn math and science) are dramatically enhanced through studying music.  Spatial-Temporal skills have repeatedly been shown to improve through even the simplest of music study.  Overall “self-concept” was significantly increased in at risk children who participated in music and the arts.

Success in Life:

See this blog post from Andrew Bertoff, publisher of Pipes|Drums magazine: Credit Piping for a very interesting reflection on the important role of bagpiping in his life.  Everyone wants their children to flourish in life, school, work, and most of us want all children to flourish in these as well.  Participation in music brings countless psychological, physical and spritual benefits, encouraging self-discipline and diligence, bringing people together and more. For bagpipers and drummers, Facebook and other social networking mediums are really opening up the whole world to our youth to meet people with their interests, and many of our members are connected to some of the most talented musicians in the world in this way as well as at the various camps and highland games we attend.  They are learning of all the places they could go in this world, they would very likely be able to find someone interested in bagpiping, or a bagpipe band to play with, and they will always be able to find someone interested in music to connect with.

Music fills us with wonder, helps us stay healthy longer, and improves our communication, creativity, and cooperation skills.   

Northwest Junior Pipe Band raises the funds necessary to continue our program through performances, competitions, and fundraisers.  The May 8th 15 year Anniversary party at Lynnwood Convention Center is the most important and largest fundraiser in the band’s history.  We recognize that we are all stretching our dollars farther and farther to get by, but we hope you can agree that this is a very important part of providing our youth a valuable foundation in their lives.

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We have seen many examples of the positive impact our program can make in kids lives.  NWJPB has the biggest fundraiser in our history coming up on May 8th, and it’s important to know that with the number of students in the program now (more than 40) it costs nearly $100,000 per year to keep the organization successful and thriving.  Our $55 dinner/concert/auction tickets and your support will provide an important part of the income that helps make our 15 year anniversary a successful year and helps provide stability for the future of a number of youth from the Puget Sound region.

The impacts of music are many and varied.  A supportive, nurturing and challenging environment where youth can learn to be leaders, grow their talents as musicians and travel are all things we consider critically important, and this video reminded us of just some of the benefits of the work so many of us do on a daily basis to keep the organization growing and successful. 

Please visit http://nwjpb.org to purchase tickets for our 15th Anniversary Mothers’ Day Eve celebration at Lynnwood Convention Center. The deadline to purchase dinner tickets is April 25th.

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There were several incredible stories we followed during our Scotland trip in 2008:

1. Our own experiences winning two first place trophies at Perth and Crieff and 5th in the World
2. SFU winning the World Championships for the 5th time, as well as best drum corps
3. Besides SFU, there were three pipe bands from the Northwest and BC including NWJPB, the Keith Highlanders AND the White Spot Pipe Bands; taking on the worlds and placing in the top 6
4. The story of the Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band.   

This band included top soloists and instructors from all over the world who were not competing in bands.  Several of those performers come from the Pacific Northwest / BC area.  Now, a very talented documentary film maker is nearing completion of a story about the band, the obstacles they overcame to compete with the top bands in the world, make it through the qualifier round and ultimately win an incredibly respectable 11th place.  NWJPB made a small donation to help John finish this important project, and we encourage our supporters to do the same.  

Music, Piping and Drumming can be an incredibly healthy and meaningful activity for youth, and the more opportunities there are for people to become familiar with the superstars of piping and drumming, the more youth will consider this a reasonable option.  Please check out the press release introducing you to John McDonald, the project, and please consider donating to the cause.  Help us help John bring stories like this into the mainstream!

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Gung Haggis Fat Choy, Seattle; an inter-cultural mash-up event in Seattle on February 24th celebrating Robbie Burns Day and Chinese New Year is a week away, but the event is nearly sold out, even though the seating was expanded to 340!

The  entertainment at the event includes Northwest Junior Pipe Band, “Gung Haggis Rap Choy” (Robbie Burns Address to the Haggis performed as a Rap), Traditional Chinese orchestral music by Washington Chinese Youth Orchestra, Don Scobie; bagpiper, Scottish Fiddling, Sing Alongs, Chinese Dancers, and some surprises!  Sure to be a memorable evening, make sure to plan ahead and purchase tickets early next year.

See more information on the event, sponsored by Bill McFadden and the Seattle Caledonian/St. Andrews Society here>>.  See news coverage of the event here>> and in the Seattle Times “Best Bets for the Weekend” here>>. 

The event is a fundraiser for Northwest Junior Pipe Band and the Washington Chinese Youth Orchestra.  Northwest Junior Pipe Band is in the final stretch of their fundraising to travel to the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland this August.  NWJPB is the first youth band from Washington State to go to Scotland since 1969.

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Yep, you read that right.  And you don’t want to miss it!

Seattle’s second annual, unforgettable mash-up of Scottish Robbie Burns and Chinese New Year celebration returns February 24th at Ocean City Restaurant, 609 S. Weller in Seattle’s International District.  A fundraiser for Northwest Junior Pipe Band and the Washington Chinese Youth Orchestra hosted by the St. Andrews/Caledonian Society of Seattle, this event was one of the highlights of our year in 2007.  Gung Haggis Fat Choy has a wildly successful history in Vancouver, BC starting 10 years ago in a living room with 16 attendees and growing into a week-long festival of events with hundreds of attendees.

Visit www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com for more history of the Vancouver events.

The Seattle Event includes performances by the Chinese Youth Orchestra, Northwest Junior Pipe Band, Don Scobie-Bagpiper, Toddish McWong’s Gung Haggis Rap Choy, Robbie Burns Poetry readings, Melody Dance Group youth Chinese dancers, door prizes and raffles.  Singalongs of traditional and culturally-tweaked familiar songs, such as “When Asian Eyes Are Smiling”, and “My Haggis Lies Over the Ocean, My Chow Mein Lies Over the Sea.”  Traditional Chinese and Scottish Dress, sometimes on the same people.

Northwest Junior Pipe Band will be selling a limited number of tickets.  Contact us soon!  $35.00 for dinner and show.  info@nwjpb.org or 206-508-1261.

More tickets available from the Caledonian Society.

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Search using Microsoft’s Live Search and their new site for non-profits, and 10 times per day, NWJPB can earn money for your search.

Play word puzzle games and donate your tickets to NWJPB too!

This requires a “Live ID” or hotmail account, and joining the “Live Search Club”.  If you already have one, visit www.searchandgive.com and sign in.  Select Northwest Junior Pipe Band by typing in “northwest junior pipe band” under search for a charity.  Select us as your charity and check and accept the terms and conditions.

www.searchandgive.com

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NWJPB members snatched up all available Entertainment ’08 books at practice Thursday night and are ordering more Friday.  One band member pre-sold 30 books before the books ever arrived.

NWJPB youth and families will help raise funds to travel to Scotland in 2008 by selling $20.00 Entertainment ’08 books with a total value in coupon savings of over $20,000.00 in the Seattle area and around $14,000 in the Snohomish or Pierce County regions.

Contact a band member and ask to buy a book from them.  The Entertainment books are being sold in the Seattle area at a significant savings over 2006 when they sold for $30.00.  NWJPB can earn as much as 50% of each book sold!

Buy online by following the link below….there are hundreds of communties throughout the United States and Canada with participating coupon books, and by following the link, Northwest Junior Pipe Band will receive a portion of the sale.

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The Northwest Junior Pipe Band 2007 Grade 4 Competition medley recorded at practice a couple weeks ago has been set to a video promoting NWJPB’s “Shop for Scotland” fundraising campaign.  Northwest Junior Pipe Band is the first juvenile band from Washington State to plan a trip to Scotland since 1969.  Check out the video! Shop for NWJPB with the link from our Merchandise page to Giveline!

www.myspace.com/nwjpb

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A brand new option for supporting NWJPB and the plans to send the band to Scotland in 2008 is available through a unique new opportunity.  Giveline is an online shopping resource similar to the others, with one big difference:  Every Purchase you make donates funds to the charity of your choice.   If you choose, you can also “donate your discount” to NWJPB, paying full price, but ensuring a larger donation gets put in the NWJPB Scotland 2008 fund.

Support NWJPB youth and help send them to Scotland by starting all of your online shopping here:

Promotional “copy” from Giveline for NWJPB:

“Introducing Giveline as a Revolutionary Way to Support Northwest Junior Pipe Band !

Giveline.com is an online store created for the community-minded shopper, offering more than a million bestselling products including books, movies, music, electronics, housewares, gifts and more. Every purchase generates a substantial donation to Northwest Junior Pipe Band – an amazing average of 16% of store sales, sometimes as high as 33%. Giveline has great products, great service, and great prices – the only difference between Giveline and other major online retailers is that every purchase earns money for our organization. Check it out today, and if you decide to buy, remember that NWJPB will earn significant funds in support of our mission!”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
Contact information:
Todd Schiele, Northwest Junior Pipe Band President
206-508-1261
president@nwjpb.org
www.nwjpb.org
=====April 5, 2007 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE======

NORTHWEST JUNIOR PIPE BAND ANNOUNCES NEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO SERVE YOUTH WHO RECEIVE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE

Northwest Junior Pipe Band announced a significant new scholarship program to help members of the band as it prepares its members to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland 2008.

Northwest Junior Pipe Band (a 501(c)3 organization) is a competition and performance pipe band of youth through age 18 committed to excellence in traditional Scottish and Irish music education, and the values of dedication, practice, teamwork, respect, responsibility, community service and tradition.

The music scholarship program is important to improve services to the youth in communities NWJPB serves throughout Western Washington, from Anacortes to Snohomish to Auburn and beyond. Youth interested in joining NWJPB as well as existing members of NWJPB who receive public assistance (from reduced lunches to unemployment insurance or food stamps) are encouraged to apply for as many as five scholarships available to support youth 18 and under interested in learning the bagpipes or drums (including snare, bass, or tenor) from a qualified private instructor. Recipients must be members of Northwest Junior Pipe Band or participate in one of the group lesson programs NWJPB instructors provide.

A second scholarship program was also announced to benefit all members of the band, which will provide workshops to band members, as well as provide opportunities to attend summer camps and workshops for pipers and drummers on a random drawing/rotation basis.

Northwest Junior Pipe Band is the only youth pipe band serving Western Washington. An award winning band of more than 30 musicians, they are enthusiastically preparing for the band’s 2008 trip to Glasgow, Scotland to compete in one of the largest of all Scottish cultural events, the World Pipe Band Championships. Catch these talented musicians at their upcoming concerts April 14^that Shorecrest High School Performing Arts Center. NWJPB competes against both youth and adult bands and often places in the top 3. The drum corps tied for Best Drum Corps in Grade 4 at the Pacific Northwest Highland Games in 2006.

NWJPB is holding a 1 – 1½ hour family matinee at 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm Silent Auction, and 7:00 pm full concert on Saturday April 14^th to raise funds for the Scotland trip next year. A selection of silent auction items will be available for preview and premium bidding from 2pm to 3pm, full auction 6:00 pm.

The full concert includes these additional talented acts:

• Pipers’ Creek Celtic Ensemble
• Karen Shelton Highland Dancers
• Keith Paton, World Class Piper
• Irish Dancers!! Scoil Rince Slieveloughane Irish Dance members

Northwest Junior Pipe Band has a remarkable core of talented and dedicated volunteer instructors building life skills, self confidence, dedication, and a sense of accomplishment in Puget Sound area youth. These widely respected musicians have been donating hundreds of hours per year to Northwest Junior Pipe Band members during the average two practices per week year round. Along with these instructors, Alumni teach beginners during band practices and current youth leaders learn valuable teaching skills and also are given opportunities to teach beginners. Additional world class instruction is brought in for workshops and band practices throughout the year.

Kevin Auld is the Band Director and has been teaching Highland Bagpiping for 18 years in the Seattle area. Kevin served as the Pipe Major for the Washington Scottish for three years, leading them to many successes in Northwest competitions before resigning to fully focus his attention on the Northwest Junior Pipe Band.

Steve Roy is a multi-talented percussionist who began his pipe band career with the Grade 1 Seattle Pipe band as a teenager. Last year he travelled to the World Pipe Band Championships with the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band and also participates in a wide variety of Latin, Rock, and other bands bringing his unique percussion talents to thousands throughout the Northwest.

Marcie MacRae is the band’s talented Tenor and Bass Drum instructor. She has been playing the tenor drum since she was 7, having been raised in one of the most active and influential piping families in the Northwest. Marcie has played both tenor and bass drum with the Washington Scottish Pipe Band and has been teaching private lessons and instructing local pipe bands for more than 10 years.

Release references:

Northwest Junior Pipe Band: www.nwjpb.org
Northwest Junior Pipe Band Scholarship information:  www.nwjpb.org/members
Band Director Kevin Auld: www.seattlepiper.com
Lead Snare Drum Instructor Steve Roy: www.steveroydrumming.com
Lead Tenor/Bass Instructor Marcie MacRae: www.macraedrumming.com

Shorecrest High School Performing Arts Center: www.shorecrestpac.com
World Pipe Band Championships: www.gotoglasgow.com
Pacific Northwest Highland Games: www.sshga.org
BC Pipers, Northwest Regional Piping organization: www.bcpipers.org
Keith Highlanders Pipe Band: www.khpb.org
Washington Scottish Pipe Band www.wascots.com

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