The Ithaca City School District will host the New York State School Music Association’s (NYSSMA) Area All State Music Festival for junior high students on Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3, 2012.  The Area All State Concert will be held Saturday, November 3 at 3:00 p.m. in the Ithaca High School Performing Arts Center. The public is welcome and tickets are available at the door, $3 for students and $5 for adults.  The ticket proceeds are used to support continued NYSSMA programming.

"It is an honor and privilege for the Ithaca City School District to host the 2012 NYSSMA Zone 3 Area All-state Junior High School Music Festival at the Ithaca High School Performing Arts Center on November 2nd and 3rd.  This event will showcase 400 outstanding student musicians, in grades 7 through 9, from up to 117 middle schools and high schools in a 6 county area.  78 of the participating students are from the Ithaca City School District.  This event is made possible through the hard work of the participating students, their teachers, and the generosity of the Ithaca Community", states Michael Allen, Ithaca City School District Music Teacher and Chairperson for the Area All-State Event.

The Fine Arts Booster Group will assist in the district hosting duties.  An affiliate of IPEI (Ithaca Public Education Initiative), the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG) works in partnership with the Ithaca City School District to advocate, support and celebrate all the arts for all the kids.

The Fine Arts Boosters support district programs and staff, and advocate for increased student access, participation and equity in the arts programs. Formed in 2001, the boosters believe the arts – music, dance and visual, literary and theater arts – are a central part of every child’s public school education.

IPEI is a not-for-profit organization that believes the education of every ICSD student is enhanced through community connections and support facilitated by IPEI for students and teachers through engagement, collaboration, gifts, and grants.  Visit www.ipei.org.

Ongoing FABG initiatives include printing of all the performance booklets for concerts and drama productions in the middle and high schools; fundraising; Play It Again, Ithaca, the collection of used musical instruments and monies to purchase new instruments for use in the schools; and various advocacy efforts in support of arts in the schools.

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