CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Charles Town Middle School is pleased to receive a donation of four Casio Casiotone 61-key portable keyboards and accompanying stands from the Friends of Music. Music teacher Rachel Allen said the gift from the Shepherdstown-based non-profit group enables the school to provide all of its music-class students with their own keyboards for the first time.
"With the growing population of our school, we have needed more keyboards," said Allen. "Over the 14 years I've been here, I've collected keyboards from yard sales and individual families, but many have become unusable. This is the first year there will be enough keyboards for each student to have their own to use and not have to share."
The donation is part of a Friends of Music grant program to support music education in Eastern Panhandle schools with instruments and music supplies not covered by regular school budgets. The Friends also provide scholarships to talented local students pursuing music degrees.
The Friends of Music was founded in 1999 to support and promote musical excellence. It supports the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, the only professional classical music orchestra in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and one of only three such orchestras in the state. More information about the organization is available at www.friendswv.org.