East Panhandle Times

Friends of Music has provided the music program at Gerrardstown's Mountain Ridge Middle School with a $400 grant to purchase sheet music. The accompanying photo shows some of the school's choral students with the new sheet music.

"Thanks to [this] grant, [our school] was able to purchase new sheet music that was performed by our students at our Spring Choir Concert in April," said choral director Jessica Ruqus. "I see my students five days a week, and a lot can be learned if we have access to new, quality choral sheet music. If I were to buy just one new piece of music for each choir member, it would be $200, even before shipping and handling costs."

The donation is part of a Friends grant program that supports music education in Berkeley and Jefferson County schools. The grants typically involve instruments and music supplies not covered by regular school budgets. The grants are awarded annually based on applications submitted by music teachers.

The Friends of Music organization is a Shepherdstown-based non-profit group founded in 1999 to support and promote musical excellence. It supports the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, the only professional classical music orchestra in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one of only three such orchestras in the state. Full information about the Friends is available at www.friendswv.org.