Pasadena Showcase House really does benefit the Arts
Each year the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA) transforms a local mansion into a display for the talents of various local interior decorators and landscape designers. Part of the group’s title implies that they do this “for the Arts”, but most people do not realize exactly what they do.
In addition to supporting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the group hosts concerts for fourth grade students and sponsors a “Music Mobile” which introduces third grade students to musical instruments. If this were not enough, the group also invests the funds it generates through Showcase House in music throughout the Los Angeles area, especially the San Gabriel Valley. PSHA does this through its grants program.
Last year’s Showcase House generated enough funds to support the groups regular projects, but also to fund more than 60 grants totally $685,000. The grants went to projects as diverse as musical education at the Braille Institute to concerts at the Los Angeles Museum of Art, from scholarships to various music schools and academies to the Wednesday noon concerts given by the Pasadena Presbyterian Church.
Local public schools also benefited from the work of the organization. Several of the schools have foundations that support such programs, others applied directly for grants. Among the school districts that received grants was the Monrovia Unified School District. In accepting the grant from Showcase at their recent presentation ceremony, Patrick Garcia, the district’s Director of Performing Arts, announced the money would be used to fund instrumental music programs in the Clifton Middle School’s Strings Music Program.
Garcia said, “Our whole purpose in applying for the grant was to provide new strings instruments for the students to use in the newly refitted stringed instrument program at the school. We have long had a band program at Clifton, but the grant will allow us to provide violins, violas and cellos for the students in the strings program.”
Garcia said he was especially impresses with the presentation program PSHA put on for the grant recipients, saying: “It was fantastic to be in a room with that many people committed to music programs It is amazing to be in that kind of company. Music has been shown to improve students academic careers in many ways and it was wonderful to meet so many people dedicated to music.”
Another local school, Marshal Fundamental School in Pasadena will also use their grant money for instruments. Their band director announced that their 100-year-old music program was celebrating its anniversary with a concert on May 17 of this year. He also said that the grant from Showcase would be used to purchase tubas as his program now has 5 students who wish to study tuba and only 1A!X tubas. Everyone was quite intrigued by half a tuba.
In all more than 15 schools received much needed grants from the Showcase House. This is the last weekend to support the Showcase House for the Arts this year as the last day is May 11. Check the group’s website for ticket information: pasadenashowcase.org
-Courtesy Photo
-Story by Susan Motander