At the Music Conservatory of Westchester, Performathon is a bi-yearly tradition and open house of sorts for the White Plains school of the arts.
“Performathon 2008 is a wonderful opportunity for conservatory friends, parents and faculty to support and celebrate our students”™ many achievements,” said Aaron Flagg, executive director of the conservatory. “We are also proud to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of our 14 longtime faculty members.”
In addition to a full day of student performances on Dec. 6, proceeds from a holiday craft boutique and refreshment sales benefited the school”™s music therapy, scholarship, student ensemble and performance programs.
The conservatory provides specialized music education for children and adults, as well as adapted instruction for people with disabilities who wish to study a particular instrument, said Jean Newton, dean of students and faculty.
Newton characterized the Performathon as bringing in “a critical mass of people” and said the school is preparing to send out spring enrollment information.
“Our enrollment thus far has been strong,” Newton said, commenting on the trying economic times. “We are an organization that depends on contributed income for about 25 to 30 percent of funding.”
Newton said the conservatory provides a needs-based scholarship program for all levels of students.
“There is opportunity for all students here, regardless of their family”™s financial circumstance,” she said.
Christine Meyer, development director, weighed in on the music conservatory”™s financial state. “In the 2007-08 academic year, the Music Conservatory of Westchester had a budget of $2,828,000 ”¦ 28 percent of income was contributed, $792,000,” Meyer said in a written statement.
Flagg outlined a strategic plan for the school, which for 2008-09 includes the construction of an alumni database and monthly e-newsletter for families, musical theater courses and vacation-week programming and onsite computer tutorials for music theory.
In terms of enrollment, Newton said “there are no clear signs that students aren”™t going to be continuing their enrollment in February because of the economy.”
She said the majority of students enroll for a year, from fall to spring.
If anything, Newton indicated that the school”™s programs may be of solace to some in an economic downturn. “I think the arts are something people turn to in tough times,” she said. “To raise funds in hard times as an organization ”¦ well, we all do the best we can.”
