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School Journal

Jazzy Fund-raiser for Emeryville Schools

Dave Miles
May 2007

The music was in the spotlight, but this jazz concert wasn’t just about the music.

It was also about community involvement. It was about local business owners helping the schools down the street. It was about young students learning an entire town cares about them.

“This is an extraordinary example of community support,” said Tony Smith, superintendent of the Emery Unified School District.

The event was the annual Benefit Concert for Music and Arts in the Schools, which was held April 18th at the Ex’pression College for Digital Arts.

The concert featured jazz legend Pete Escovedo and his son, Juan, as well as the Junius Courtney Big Band. The Emery Secondary Jazz band, led by director George Spencer, also got to perform on the Ex’pression stage.

The event was organized by the Emery Ed Fund, the non-profit citizens group that raises money for the Emeryville school district. More than 100 people attended, paying $50 to $250 apiece. Corporate sponsors chipped in $1,000 each. The event raised more than $7,500, which will be used to purchase and repair musical instruments as well as provide tutoring to Emery Secondary music students.

“This is extremely exciting,” said Emery School Board President Melodi Dice as she chatted during a pre-concert reception. “It’s a validation of what we’ve been working on in this district.”

The money, however, was only part of the story. All sectors of the community pitched in. Ex’pression College donated its facilities. Downtown merchants provided food and drink, free of charge. Even things like paper for the programs were donated.

Eugenia Bowman, the executive director of the Emery Ed Fund, has worked for 25 years in the fund-raising business. She says she’s never experienced a community pulling together like Emeryville does for its schools.

“I’ve never seen a group of individuals work so well together,” she said. “There isn’t a ‘no’ in the group. It’s always, ‘How do we get this done.’”

The concert also injects a healthy dose of self-esteem into Emeryville students. Not only do they receive a quality music program, they also learn how community involvement can lift up the younger portion of a town. It’s a civic lesson not found in textbooks.

“I feel like everybody in the community is coming together,” said Maurice Grayson, student body president at Emery Secondary.

A small community in size but not in commitment. Spencer Nilson, Ex’pression College’s director, made that point when he spoke to the crowd before the concert.

“Emeryville may be only 1.2 square miles,” he said, “but it is one of the most dynamic communities I’ve ever been involved with.”

The concert is just one in a series of activities organized by the Emery Ed Fund, which raises $1 million a year for Emeryville schools. The next event is a pre-release movie screening at the Pixar Studios on June 8th.

Dave Miles is a writer for The Emeryville Connection. If you have a question or comment, please contact him at ecocnews@gmail.com.