Together, We Keep the Arts Alive

Thanks to your astounding generosity, we've raised $302,000 with pledges still arriving to help save Orchestra, Jazz Band, and Choir in the Edmonds School District for the 2025/26 school year!

The arts are still alive in our schools—because of you. For two years in a row, your support restored music classes across the Edmonds School District, allowing students to thrive. 

Your contributions will cover the cost of 1.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching positions split across eight schools in the 2025-26 school year:

• Orchestra at Alderwood Middle School, serving over 80 7th-grade string students
• Jazz Band at Meadowdale, Alderwood, and Brier Terrace Middle Schools
• Jazz Band 2 at Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace High Schools
• Music Technology at Meadowdale High School
• Choir at Brier Terrace Middle School

These positions are essential to maintaining the district’s comprehensive music pipeline from middle school ensembles to award-winning high school programs. These programs inspire students and prepare them for success in any field.

We are incredibly thankful to Rick Steves, beloved travel expert and philanthropist, who led a challenge match that helped us raise $315,000 to fund these classes, and the many donors and community members who helped us surpass our goal!

I’m thrilled by and thankful for the generosity of caring citizens in our community. Together, we exceeded our goal to help fund music programs in our local public schools, and I’m proud to be a part of this initiative. However, a society as wealthy as ours should be able to afford taxpayer-funded public education that offers more than stripped-down basics. Giving a citizenry a well-rounded education that includes music, social sciences, and the arts is a practical investment and a simple matter of priorities. If we could afford it when I was a child, when both our city and our country were nowhere near as wealthy…we can certainly afford it today. - Rick Steves

"The response from our community has been nothing short of extraordinary. When we faced the difficult reality of budget constraints impacting some of our music programs, our families, local businesses, and community members stepped forward with remarkable support. Their commitment to our students' musical education has made all the difference. Music education is fundamental to a well-rounded academic experience. These programs don't just teach students to play instruments or sing – they develop critical thinking, teamwork, discipline, and self-expression. Many thanks to the Foundation for Edmonds School District for their advocacy, and to the many donors whose generosity directly supports these music programs.” - Tam Osborne, Manager of Visual & Performing Arts for the Edmonds School District.

Thanks to our remarkable community, students will continue to learn, create, and thrive.