Sponsored by the Office of Don Knabe, Supervisor of the Los Angeles County Fourth District, the Arts Education Partnership Program (AEPP) awarded Pacific Crest $8,350 to support the instruction of its Workshop programs and Drum and Bugle Corps.
"This is incredibly exciting!" said Pacific Crest's Executive Director Stuart Pompel. "Grants from foundations have increased over the past three years, and to receive a grant of this amount from such a prestigious program is an honor."
Pacific Crest's 2008 season included a 12,000 mile tour that started in Southern California and ended in Bloomington, Indiana, at the Drum Corps International Summer Music Games Championships. Combining some small trips and a 23-day tour, the corps was on the road for a total of 27 days this past summer, and performed in 25 contests.
Pacific Crest's instructional staff includes five local high school and middle school music educators, as well as a number of college faculty, professional performers, and coaches in the areas of brass, percussion, color guard, and movement. The grant from Supervisor Knabe's AEPP helped to ensure funding for these experts as they coached the members during the winter/spring training camps and during the summer tour.
About Supervisor Don Knabe
Supervisor Don Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November of 1996 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2008.
Knabe has a true passion for the arts and attributes much of his own personal success to an early involvement with music. His enthusiasm for the arts has resulted in the creation of several innovative youth programs and his own arts program, which provides grants to schools and community based organizations throughout the Fourth District.