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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0177.105 1998-2000 ' RKEIVEd T„ , fRne__----.. By.-...._. To: All Hawaii County Council Members pate----=~~'.T'~':' County Councit~O- F'n' From: Gary Ventimiglia, Director, West Hawaii County Band Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and members of the council. My name is Gary Ventimiglia. I am a music teacher at Kealakehe Intermediate School and the Director of the West Hawaii County Band. I am here to address the issue of keeping the West Hawaii County Band in existence. The band is part of The Department of Parks and Recreation and has a total operating budget of approximately $20,000. As you can imagine, 520,000 is a small amount to keep any band rehearsing and performing year-round. In fact, there's only one thing that can keep such a band in existence, and that's dedication. Band members take seriously the established goals of the Department of Parks and Recreation which include providing social, cultural, and recreational opportunities to our residents and visitors. We perform, on an average, 26 times per year for organizations such as American Cancer Society Relay for Life, American Lung Association Super Kids celebration, the Boy Scouts, and Keauhou Rehabilitation Center. These organizations do not pay us to perform. We perform for them because we believe that our residents deserve to enjoy live music for concerts, parades, ceremonies, and for community celebrations. We believe that visitors deserve our services, as well as local residents, and so we play annually at events such as the Iron Man Triathlon, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, and the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. The aloha that we show visitors through these ~~world class" events will be come back to us to a much greater degree. Above and beyond that, West Hawaii County Band members have embraced the added goal of education for intermediate and high school music students. Comm. No. I ~ 7• ~ O s File No. B uD Presented ceuNc.~- Ref. To: Ref. Date 3' 18' 9 As many as ten students sit in on band rehearsals, gaining exposure to a variety of music, styles, and techniques that is otherwise not available to them. Also, some of the students are asked to perform with the band. And as any musician can tell you, there's nothing to spark a student's interest more than the opportunity to perform. The students who sit in with us have all expressed a desire to continue playing music when they ]_eave high school - whether they go away to college or stay on the Big Island. For those leaving, the background they've gotten here will bolster their opportunities elsewhere. For those staying, the band welcomes their continued participation. There is no other band in West Hawaii quite like the West Hawaii County Band. If this band is dissolved, it means an end to almost all live music in parades from Honoka'a to Na'alehu. It means either no music or recorded renditions for the posting of colors and singing of anthems at countless ceremonies that center around our keiki. And it would mean an end to live musical entertainment for residents at Keauhou Rehab. In closing, I would like to quote from a letter that the band sent to the Director of Parks and Recreation. It says: "The members - both county employee and volunteer - who stay with the band do so for the opportunity of providing to others something that is a joy to give: music." We ask that you vote to keep this service for our residents and visitors. Thank you. Gary Ventimiglia Director, West Hawaii County Band.