It\u2019s no secret that art programs in schools are suffering in the current economy. Luckily, organizations have sprung up for some area schools to help with funding. Such is the case with the Point Loma High School Instrumental Boosters, which works year-round to ensure that music remains a vital part of its school\u2019s curriculum. On Friday, May 18, Humphrey\u2019s Concerts by the Bay will be the site of “Rhapsody on the Point,” a fundraiser for the Point Loma High School (PLHS) Instrumental Music program and a celebration of the opening of the new Music Center at PLHS. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with hors d\u2019 oeuvres, cocktails and a silent auction, with music starting at 7 p.m. The event continues a tradition of performing Gershwin\u2019s “Rhapsody in Blue”\u00a0every year. For 2012, San Diego pianist Diane Snodgrass will do the honors, backed by students, and also perform a solo piece. Several of the school\u2019s student groups \u2014 including the wind ensemble, concert band and string orchestra \u2014 will also take part. Meanwhile, county Supervisor Greg Cox will narrate Aaron Copland\u2019s\u00a0“Lincoln Portrait,” an orchestral work featuring words spoken by President Lincoln. This event helps the next generation of musicians while taking in a little culture. “Rhapsody on the Point” is a labor of love. Toiling behind the scenes, among others, is an eight-person event committee and 15 more volunteers. Money raised goes to everything from instruments to student transportation for tournaments. “The district only funds the salary of music director James Sepulvado,” said Point Loma High School Instrumental Boosters President Kerri De Rosier. Ironically, Sepulvado recently received a pink slip from the district in the widespread effort to offset budget woes. “All of this effort is against a backdrop of him possibly losing his job,” said De Rosier. “But that hasn\u2019t stopped him from putting his heart and soul into this event.” She said it\u2019s ironic that Sepulvado may be let go at the same time that the school\u2019s new music center is opening. “[He might] be replaced, but especially with marching band director, he\u2019s someone who does everything from finding the students their places on the field, to writing the music,” De Rosier said. “It\u2019s a really specialized position, and we\u2019re concerned that he might be replaced by someone who isn\u2019t qualified.” De Rosier said she is also concerned about the lack of continuity between area schools if current teachers are dismissed. “You have Mark Dwyer at Correia Middle School and Ruben Flores at Dana Middle School,” she said. “These guys have all learned how to work together, so there is a nice continuity between the programs.” De Rosier said Dwyer also received a pink slip. “The school district is really threatening the success that we\u2019ve had,” she said. “We\u2019ve been growing since Mr. Sepulvado got here.” While the fundraising aspect of the concert is important, De Rosier notes other benefits. “We\u2019re really trying hard to bring the community together,” De Rosier said. “What I like about [\u2018Rhapsody at the Point\u2019] the most is that it\u2019s a real concert and it\u2019s a chance for the community to see the kids in action, to see what they are capable of doing. School is so much more than math and science and English. It can also be an opportunity for students to express themselves. “They\u2019re doing significant pieces,” she said. “If you look at kids who are involved, these are kids who are \u2014 in addition to being wonderful musicians \u2014 for the most part, the best students at the school.” \u2022 Rhapsody on the Point:<\/b> 6 p.m. on Friday, May 18 at Humphrey\u2019s Concerts on the Bay,<\/b> 2241 Shelter Island Drive. Visit www.Rhapsodyonthepoint.com.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s no secret that art programs in schools are suffering in the current economy. Luckily, organizations have sprung up for some area schools to help with funding. Such is the case with the Point Loma High School Instrumental Boosters, which works year-round to ensure that music remains a vital part of its school\u2019s curriculum. On […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":259216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11561","_seopress_titles_title":"Experiencing \u2018Rhapsody on the Point\u2019","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11551,11561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-259215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-news","category-peninsula-beacon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}