Please help my Eclectakid do something really cool to help underprivileged budding musicians in Cleveland

As the publisher of Eclectablog, every once in awhile, I get to indulge in some shameless self-promotion. In this case, it’s actually helping to promote something my daughter Arleigh is doing. That’s her on the right. Unfortunately for her, she graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a Master’s degree in bassoon performance while the country was still recovering from the Great Recession. She’s been unable to find a job (yet) as a professional bassoonist but that hasn’t stopped her. Along with some fellow musicians, all graduates of the Cleveland Institute of Music, she formed the North Coast Winds Quintet.

In addition to gigging around the Cleveland area, NCW is starting a band camp for underprivileged kids this summer. Here’s how they describe their project:

The tuition for each camper is $400 and includes:

• A week of intensive rehearsals and coachings on woodwind chamber pieces, culminating in a professionally recorded final performance.
• Daily seminars on topics ranging from audience engagement to music business.
• All printed parts, camp t-shirt, pizza party and family reception and much more. The camper needs only to bring their instrument and we provide the rest!

Most of the musicians in NCW are working multiple jobs to make ends meet (including Arleigh.) Still, they are such caring, compassionate kids that they want to give something back to their community and this band camp is how they are doing it. However, they need to raise $3,500 to pull it off and that’s where YOU come in. They have started an IndieGogo campaign to raise the money.

Here’s why they are doing it:

Cleveland, Ohio is an art-friendly city with a serious poverty problem.

• Every single applicant to date has inquired about financial assistance.
• Scholarship not only impacts the student, but the family, whose childcare financial burden will be eased during the camp week.
• Being a classical musician comes with its own set of financial barriers; we don’t want our camp to increase that burden on any interested family and your gift will help to make that possible.
• Reaching our goal of $3500 will cover 8 full scholarships or 16 half scholarships!!!

As you might imagine, I’m pretty damned proud of my daughter, never more so than when I heard that she was doing this. She’s struggling herself, waiting tables in addition to performing to pay the rent, and yet she’s doing something good to help out others who are less fortunate.

If you’d like to help them out with this terrific project, please go to their IndieGogo page and support their effort. If you can’t make a financial contribution, head over to the IndieGogo page and share it with your friends and family on social media and elsewhere.

Thanks.