STUDENT BENEFIT
Practice-A-Thon to raise money for Franklin Community Center, SPAC
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. »
Local students are making music for a special cause this March as part of a PracticeA-Thon to benefit two area nonprofit organizations.
Saratoga Springs City School District’s first-ever Practice-A-Thon is underway for young musicians at both Maple Avenue Middle School and Saratoga Springs High School.
As an effort to engage students and help the community, approximately 700 students in band, chorus and orchestra are being encouraged to participate in the Practice-A-Thon by seeking monetary pledges from friends and family members for hours of practice during the month of March.
Students will keep a practice record on their own or use SmartMusic, a software program that tracks practice minutes.
All money raised through the month-long PracticeA-Thon will be donated to Franklin Community Center and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, two local organizations that were chosen by the students.
This new program was created by Maple Avenue Middle School teacher Cynthia Lee and her husband Saratoga Springs High School teacher Milton Lee, whose music programs have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With altered schedules that allow each performance group to meet only twice a month, students have reported feeling less motivated during the pandemic.
So, the Lees decided to host a Practice-A-Thon for March, which is Music In Our Schools Month.
“We were trying to come up with something to try to engage our kids that are in performing ensembles to do a little bit more than they have been this year, because due to COVID it’s been very tough,” Cynthia said. “We were trying to think of what we could do to change this up, how we could get some momentum and get kids excited about practicing.”
The teachers are hopeful that the Practice-A-Thon will inspire students to practice more often, with prizes to be awarded to the top practice minute earner and pledge earner.
According to students, the program is working.
Lily Caramadre, a seventh grade violinist, is collecting donations from family members and trying to practice as much as she can. “I have always practiced a few times a week,” she said, “but this event motivates me to practice more often, for longer time periods.”
Seventh grade flutist Ana Marie Sandu admits that she sort of lost interest in playing her instrument during the pandemic, but is now working on playing more.
“I am extremely excited to be part of this PracticeA-Thon because not only does it encourage students like me to play their instrument more often,” she said, “but it also gives back to the community.”
Sandu, a student at Maple Avenue Middle School, voted for the Franklin Community Center.
“I know firsthand how much COVID-19 has taken a toll on many different peo
ple in many different areas,” she said, explaining her selection. “Franklin Community Center helps those kinds of families in need, and I think that is a vital thing needed during these times.”
Sixth grade student Lucas Miller, a chorus member who also plays trumpet, asked his grandparents and others for donations toward the Practice-A-Thon. He is aiming to practice for 15 minutes or more every day this month.
“I am super excited to be part of the Practice-A-Thon because I love playing trumpet,” he said. “Donating to the community while playing trumpet makes me feel awesome.”
Miller voted for the program to benefit SPAC, because he likes the venue’s concerts such as when the Philadelphia Orchestra played the score of Indiana Jones film “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
Representatives from Franklin Community Center and SPAC both expressed their gratitude for the efforts of all involved with the Practice-A-Thon.
“We are so honored to be one of the beneficiaries of the Saratoga Springs City School District’s PracticeA-Thon,” Franklin Community Center executive director Kari Cushing said. “What a creative way to get students to not only practice their instruments, but to get more involved in their community. At Franklin Community Center we believe that nobody should have to go without basic necessities.
“Ensuring that this happens is a real group effort and takes an entire community. It is so nice to see young people getting involved and helping to make sure that nobody in our community has to go without.”
Funds donated to SPAC through the Practice-AThon will be put back into its education programming, which has greatly expanded over the past few years.
SPAC’s education department works with students throughout the Saratoga Springs City School District, through programs such as Classical Kids, Ballet in Fifth and the Festival of Young Artists.
“We love the idea of motivating the students during this time to continue practicing their instruments,” said SPAC senior director of education Dennis Moench, who called it heartwarming to be chosen as a beneficiary by the students. “We were really honored when the students chose us, because I just thought that was such a wonderful reflection on all of the things that we’ve been doing together, and the partnership that we’ve developed with those schools - the fact that those students are really responding and want to support the arts in the community.”
Looking ahead, “We are excited to hear the students’ growth with this added incentive to practice, while also giving back to our local community,” Cynthia said, noting that any student having trouble seeking pledges should reach out to their teacher, as some sponsors are lined up for those in this situation.
Anyone interested in sponsoring a student musician in the ongoing Practice-A-Thon can do so by visiting the Saratoga Friends of Music website at www. fomtoga.org/practiceathon.