CELEBRATE THE
MUSIC
"It’s through music you learn how to create a positive culture. And that here we have these two schools, Stanford, a very prestigious college, and Carlmont, and it’s a battle of the bands but ultimately, we played music together. It’s about working together, and the better we work together, the better the end result will be. And the better the performer will feel about it. And the more the audience will resonate with the experience and the music."
- Brian Switzer
Behind the money...
The whimsical sounds erupting from the Battle of the Bands float through the air as you walk through the Twin Pines Park. The harmonious music indicates that Celebrate the Music, formerly known as the Save the Music festival, is finally back in session.
School Force, the Belmont-Redwood Shores (BRSSD) Public Schools Foundation, holds the annual festival to raise money for the local schools in the school district. However, the community festival wouldn’t be possible without the funding of the sponsors. Funds from local sponsors and small businesses have allowed the joyous celebration to be held for the past 18 years.
“Waterdog Tavern has been a longtime community partner with School Force ever since it was established,” said Ardythe Andrews, the Executive Director of School Force.
Waterdog Tavern is a constant participant at every festival and has a booth selling alcohol and food every year. They fund the initial expenses for the event and then sell their products to the attendees, further benefiting the community.
In addition to the local business, the festival also has support from large companies.
“Oracle is a major local based business that’s set up in our community and has been the presenting sponsor of the festival for more than 10 of the 18 years that we’ve been in operation,” said Alan Sarver, the committee chair behind the Celebrate the Music Festival.
The donor funding allows the event to happen. Still, the festival generates enough to pay for itself, and the accumulated profit eventually breaks even with the money invested. Investments into the festival are gained back with the funds from the rental booths, ticket sales, and other activities patrons can support.
“We do a little bit better than breakeven. Most of it is kind of the operating money that comes in during the day of the festival that equals the operating expense for the festival,” Sarver said.
The additional money is contributed towards the fundraising goals of School Force. School Force’s goal covers more than just the cost of music programs — they also cover other essentials for students, things like school supplies and art programs.
The rising demands from the schools have contributed to the change of the festival name. The community has previously known the festival by the name Save the Music, but it has now become the Celebrate the Music festival.
“We changed the name because we're celebrating the music programs in our schools. To save those music programs, this festival would have to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Andrews said. “No single fundraising event can do that.”
When the first festival was held in 2002, School Force’s fundraising goal was $33,000. Now, after 20 years, the annual fundraising goal is $2.5 million. The rising demands of the BRSSD school district have caused Sarver, Andrews, and other coordinators to emphasize the point of the festival: community, not profit.
“We have to fundraise year-round anyway, so we changed the real objective of the festival,” Andrews said. “Especially with the re-opening after the pandemic, the name change symbolizes us giving back to the community.”
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Written by: Annabel Chia
BEHIND THE CAMERA...
Photos by: Audrey Burnley, Erik Cheng, Kyle Maher
Behind the money...
The whimsical sounds erupting from the Battle of the Bands float through the air as you walk through the Twin Pines Park. The harmonious music indicates that Celebrate the Music, formerly known as the Save the Music festival, is finally back in session.
School Force, the Belmont-Redwood Shores (BRSSD) Public Schools Foundation, holds the annual festival to raise money for the local schools in the school district. However, the community festival wouldn’t be possible without the funding of the sponsors. Funds from local sponsors and small businesses have allowed the joyous celebration to be held for the past 18 years.
“Waterdog Tavern has been a longtime community partner with School Force ever since it was established,” said Ardythe Andrews, the Executive Director of School Force.
Waterdog Tavern is a constant participant at every festival and has a booth selling alcohol and food every year. They fund the initial expenses for the event and then sell their products to the attendees, further benefiting the community.
In addition to the local business, the festival also has support from large companies.
“Oracle is a major local based business that’s set up in our community and has been the presenting sponsor of the festival for more than 10 of the 18 years that we’ve been in operation,” said Alan Sarver, the committee chair behind the Celebrate the Music Festival.
The donor funding allows the event to happen. Still, the festival generates enough to pay for itself, and the accumulated profit eventually breaks even with the money invested. Investments into the festival are gained back with the funds from the rental booths, ticket sales, and other activities patrons can support.
“We do a little bit better than breakeven. Most of it is kind of the operating money that comes in during the day of the festival that equals the operating expense for the festival,” Sarver said.
The additional money is contributed towards the fundraising goals of School Force. School Force’s goal covers more than just the cost of music programs — they also cover other essentials for students, things like school supplies and art programs.
The rising demands from the schools have contributed to the change of the festival name. The community has previously known the festival by the name Save the Music, but it has now become the Celebrate the Music festival.
“We changed the name because we're celebrating the music programs in our schools. To save those music programs, this festival would have to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Andrews said. “No single fundraising event can do that.”
When the first festival was held in 2002, School Force’s fundraising goal was $33,000. Now, after 20 years, the annual fundraising goal is $2.5 million. The rising demands of the BRSSD school district have caused Sarver, Andrews, and other coordinators to emphasize the point of the festival: community, not profit.
“We have to fundraise year-round anyway, so we changed the real objective of the festival,” Andrews said. “Especially with the re-opening after the pandemic, the name change symbolizes us giving back to the community.”
​
​
Written by: Annabel Chia