Fundraising for Summer Music Programs
Will your students be participating in any summer music programs?
Summer Music Programs can be a great way for students to experience new genres, new teaching styles and more! Looking for some lists to find a program that would be a good fit for you or your student? Check out these lists here:
Students often walk away invigorated from these immersive experiences. I’ve seen lasting change in my own studio after students have attended some of the programs on the above lists!
How do you pay for these camps though?
You don’t have to go far on these lists before you start to realize - These opportunities come in a variety of price points! Even the most budget friendly options are a couple hundred dollars and costs can soar above $10,000. Motivated students who want to find a way to participate in these programs might be able to earn merit based scholarships and some programs may provide some form of need-based assistance, too.
But for those looking for other ideas about how to raise money, I hope this list helps you start brainstorming what might work best for your situation!
Fundraising Ideas for music programs
Busking in Town
Students looking for an informal and pop up option can try out busking! Find a busy street corner, make a sign sharing what you’re raising money for and open up your case. Test out a few locations, days of the week and times to find the most profitable place and see what you can make!
Performathon
There are a couple ways you could advertise this idea! Set a date where you’ll perform as long as you can and share it with any friends and family. You could ask people to donate $1, 5, 10+ an hour for however long you can play ahead of time and share updates in by social media, email or more. If you perform at home you can set up a livestream. Alternatively you can combine this idea with busking and perform at different avenues throughout the day. If you do that you can reuse your set list and put out your case for additional donations for bonus cash!
Check local scholarships
Here’s the list I maintain for students in my area: Music Scholarships for Hagerstown, Maryland and Music Scholarships for the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. I highly recommend compiling a similar list for your area if you haven’t done so already!
Bake Sale at School Music Events
Depending on the school’s policies this could be a great way for school music programs to spread the word about music programs (And therefore encourage more of their students to participate, improve and bring that back to their program!) and help students with need find ways to afford those programs. It is definitely worth asking the school teacher if you can make baked goods or other concessions for concerts, field trips, and other orchestra related events!
Organize a Benefit Recital
While this might take the most planning and coordination, students can benefit a lot from putting together a benefit recital! Find a community venue or religious building who would be willing to donate their space, prepare a recital program and then spread the word about your performance. Share your goal with the local paper, post in local Facebook groups advertising your recital and contact other local music groups to see if they can share your performance with their audience. Often times there are people who would LOVE to support young hardworking musicians, but they don’t know how! Be sure to include in your printed program the words: “You can support my music efforts by [Insert your Venmo, Zelle, etc.] and sharing your experience today with others!”
I especially love this idea because it gives the student great performance experience that will serve them well at their music program and beyond. Putting together a recital is a skill just like anything else and this is a great way for young musicians to learn the ropes!
Which method would be your first choice to raise money for a music camp?
These are my favorite ideas that I’ve been sharing with students and their families as they consider what summer music camps they participate in this year! I aimed to provide a variety of ideas in terms of preparation time, demand on the musician’s family and more, but I am always looking for more ideas. If you have any ideas you love to recommend or have tried anything else yourself, I’d love to hear from you!
You can reach me in the comments below or on Instagram @shawstrings and share your thoughts!
