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West Bend High School launches 'Fuel the Music' capital campaign to replace instruments and uniforms
Summary
Band director Corey Murphy and parent volunteers presented 'Fuel the Music,' a capital and awareness campaign to expand the district-owned instrument inventory, pay for repairs and replace 20‑plus‑year‑old polos and aging uniforms; kickoff is Sept. 20 with student fundraising through Nov. 14.
Corey Murphy, high school band director, told the school board on Sept. 8 that West Bend High School’s band program — which he said dates back to the 1940s — is launching a capital campaign to replenish aging instruments and replace uniforms and polos.
Murphy said the program currently supports more than 150 district‑owned instruments, including large instruments the community stores do not typically rent (tuba, bassoon, bari sax and double French horn). He described a recently repaired tenor saxophone (a 40‑year‑old instrument) that cost about $224 to fix in December 2024 and noted a new intermediate saxophone list price near $2,700.
Senior drum major Nicole Haglund described how access to school‑provided instruments supports students pursuing music education: she said she uses seven instruments — six rented through the school and one owned personally — and that access has prepared her for college coursework.
Linda Fink, a band parent coordinating fundraising, outlined Fuel the Music as a capital campaign and community awareness effort. The campaign will combine student fundraising, corporate and foundation requests, service-club outreach and direct public donations; campaign proceeds will be used for instruments, repairs and supplies (reeds, drumsticks) and to replace 20‑year‑old polos, which Fink estimated would cost $3,500 to $4,000 to replace.
Fink said the campaign kickoff will be a Fuel the Music concert in partnership with the Bend Theater on Sept. 20 during the farmers market from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a student-run restaurant ticket fundraiser running Sept. 20 through Nov. 14. The restaurant partners (listed by Fink) donated food coupons students will sell for $20; she said 100% of proceeds go to the band.
Murphy and Fink said the band program includes two curricular ensembles (a ninth-grade concert band with about 37 members and a marching band of roughly 85 students that will split into two groups by audition in November) plus multiple co‑curricular ensembles (jazz band, brass band, chamber music) and community appearances. Murphy said the district budgets about $550,000 for band spending overall — covering staffing and supplies — and that the Fuel the Music funds would be in addition to the district’s budgeted expenditures.
Board members asked whether the booster structure affects how donations are received. Murphy and administration clarified that the band booster organization sits under the district umbrella and that donations for this campaign will come directly into district accounts and follow district fundraising procedures; other booster or foundation entities are separate organizations.
The board did not take formal action on the campaign at the meeting. Murphy asked the board to help publicize the kickoff and partnering events.
