Pacific Beach Middle School’s annual music program fundraiser, PB Palooza, is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 17, from 1-6 p.m. Billed as “An Afternoon of Food, Fun, and Music,” PB Palooza will feature performances by local musical talent. The Eric Wesling Trio, Josie and Friends, Mission Bay High School Preservationists, Taconacho, and DrMr are on the afternoon schedule. Tickets are available at pbmsmusic.com.
“A unique feature of PB Palooza is that we showcase musical talent from PB schools,” said PBMS Music Association president Angela Bencke. “Each musical group has a direct connection to our Pacific Beach schools’ music programs.
“The award-winning Preservationists Band from Mission Bay High will perform. All of those band members are current students. The four other groups have members who are former students from our PB schools’ music programs. These groups have returned to perform and support our middle school’s music program.”
John O’Donnell, the band director for PB Middle School, said, “The PBMS Music Association was formally established as a nonprofit in 2016 and provides essential support for our middle school music program.”
The school’s music program involves about 210 middle school students in one of six instrumental ensembles – Sixth Grade Strings, Sixth Grade Band, Intermediate Strings, Intermediate Band, Orchestra, and Concert Band. The music program builds on the music traditions of Crown Point Junior Music Academy, Pacific Beach Elementary, and Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary, and provides all students with the opportunity to explore music prior to high school.
The beginning band and strings classes develop new musicians while the advanced band and orchestra students step out into the community with performances throughout the year and compete with other middle and high school music programs.
“We buy new instruments for kids, repair instruments, and buy sheet music and online learning resources for students,” Bencke said. “In some cases, we will fund music lessons for a student playing a specialized instrument such as an oboe.”
“Our music association provides countless little but important recurring supply needs – reeds, strings, valve oil, and screws,” O’Donnell said. “A director can not develop a successful clarinet player when they are not able to provide a new reed when in old reed breaks. It’s like having a math class with no pencil sharpener.”
Bencke recounted the two first-place trophies the music program earned in May at the Music in the Parks competition in Los Angeles. “Our PBMS Music Association helps fund registration and transportation for 48 members of the Pacific Beach Middle School Concert Band and Orchestra to travel to Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale to participate in the Music in the Parks music festival.
“The students were thrilled with the incredible honors the band and orchestra members earned last May. Our volunteer parent organization works all year to support the needs of our middle school music program. Our fundraisers result in direct and tangible support for our music program. We are all about supporting our middle school students by making music.”
