If you go

When: 7 p.m. Thursday.

Where: North Medford High School auditorium, 1900 N. Keene Way.

Admission: free.

By PARIS ACHEN
Mail Tribune

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When sixth-grader Gary D’Alessandro began playing the cello two years ago, orchestra was part of the school day.

Now, the Griffin Creek Elementary School student has to take time after classes to play in the orchestra.

"It’s probably better after school because I get more time in class," Gary said.

While the change didn’t bother Gary, teachers say the transformation of elementary band and orchestra classes into after-school programs last school year has reduced participation to a trickle.

Hoping to revive interest in the programs, teachers devised a contest for sixth-graders in band and orchestra to create the best music T-shirt design.

The schools sought donations from local music businesses and organizations to pay for printing the design on T-shirts for all 140 elementary band and orchestra pupils in the Medford School District.

Larry’s Music in Medford provided the bulk of the funds.

"We are trying to work with the community to establish more participation in band and orchestra because the programs are dwindling," said Susan Inman, principal of Jefferson Elementary School.

The T-shirts will replace the band and orchestra uniforms of a white dress shirt and black slacks.

"We had kids who couldn’t afford the instruments but we also had students who couldn’t afford the black shoes, black pants and white shirt to wear to the concerts," Inman said.

Nearly half of the students in the district live at the poverty level.

Teachers hoped the T-shirts would encourage students living at the poverty level to participate in band and orchestra as well as create a sense of belonging, said Lynn Imhof, a district orchestra teacher.

About 60 band and orchestra pupils entered the competition.

The district’s six band and orchestra teachers selected Lincoln Elementary sixth-grader Maggie Gibson’s "Music is life" design showing a cello, French horn and trumpet as the winner.

The five finalists were sixth-graders Jessica Freda of Lone Pine Elementary; Soren Moritz of Griffin Creek; Arturo Mendez of Jefferson; Katrina Patrick of Washington Elementary; and Anna Thorndike of Hoover Elementary.

Each received symphony tickets donated by the Rogue Valley Symphony.

The elementary orchestra students will debut the T-shirts at their first concert of the year at 7 p.m. Thursday at North Medford High, 1900 N. Keene Way.

The concert will feature classical, Native American and Asian pieces by the elementary, middle school and high school orchestras.

In 2004-05, a budget shortfall forced the district to eliminate elementary band, chorus and orchestra classes from the school day. The classes are now offered only after school at four locations: Griffin Creek, Jackson, Kennedy and Lone Pine.

Since the programs shifted to after school, participation has declined by about 80 percent, music teachers say.

"If we can’t get the programs back into the school day, the middle school and high school programs are going to be greatly reduced in numbers because there won’t be any students to feed into the programs," Imhof said.

A community group, called Save Music in Medford Schools, has been working since January to identify ways to restore the programs.

Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail pachen@mailtribune.com.