Welcome

Welcome to the Save Our Kids' Music (SOKM) website. SOKM is the "PTA" or "Booster Club" for the Pleasant Valley School District Instrumental Music Program. Save Our Kids’ Music is a 501(c)(3) California Non-Profit Organization and our Tax I.D. is #77-0409136. All donations to SOKM are tax deductible.

Welcome!

News and Upcoming Events

Pleasant Valley School District Youth Arts Academy The Pleasant Valley School District Youth Arts Academy is excited to announce classes for the 2010-11 school year. The just completed summer session of PVSD YAA provided students with a positive, creative and educational experience in the arts taught by qualified instructors. More than 115 students were able to participate in this fun and inspirational program supported by PVSD, Save Our Kids' Music (SOKM) and Ventura County Community Foundation/ArtsLIVE. PVSD YAA classes for the 2010-11 school year will include Beginning Band, Concert Band, The Off Beats, Beginning Strings, Advanced Beginning Strings, Mariachi Band, Choral Music, Musical Theater, Hip Hop Dance and Ceramics. The classes will be one or two days per week from 3:45 to 4:45 PM. The classes are open to all 4th-8th grade students in Ventura County, not just PVSD students. A requested donation of $180 for classes that meet twice a week and $90 for classes that meet once a week is being solicited. Classes begin the week of September 27th. Registration dates for PVSD YAA will be Saturday, September 18th from 11 am to 3 PM, Tuesday, September 21st from 6-7 PM and Saturday, September 25th from 11 am to 3 PM. Registration will take place at the Los Altos School Site - 700 Temple Ave, Camarillo, CA 93010. Click here to download the Youth Arts Academy Brochure and click here to download the Youth Arts Academy Fall 2010 Registration Form. More information and registration materials are also available at the following PVSD website (www.pvsd.k12.ca.us).

Middle Schools Offer THREE Band Classes Las Colinas and Monte Vista Middle Schools will be offering Beginning Band, Intermediate Band and Advanced Band during the school day for the 2010-11 school year thanks to a $20,000 donation from SOKM! Please contact your child's counselor to enroll. If your have further questions, please contact the Directors: Reese Copsey at Las Colinas or Trish Copsey at Monte Vista.

School starts on September 1st! Click here for the PVSD 2010-11 Calendar
Meadowlark Service League Thank you to the Meadowlark Service League for supporting music in our schools for the last 20 years. We thank them for their generous grant of $1,500 to keep the music alive.

SOKM Receives Grant Money We are absolutely thrilled to announce receipt of the sum of $10,400.00 from Ventura County Community Foundation -- ArtsLIVE Initiative to support the P.V.S.D. Youth Arts Academy. In addition, we are excited to announce receipt of the sum of $570.00 from the City of Camarillo. Thank you so much to VCCF -- ArtsLIVE and the City of Camarillo, for continuing to support music and the arts for our students.

SOKM Announces 2010 Fundraising Campaign We were extremely excited to have reached our 2009 goal of $20,000.00 by collecting donations of $100.00 from 200 people. Because of your generosity, the music program remained strong this year. But given the budget crisis in the State of California, the pressure is on to do even better so as to provide music for our children. SOKM announces its fundraising goal for 2010: $100.00 from 250 people. That along with several grants that SOKM has received will allow the district to keep the current music program in place for our students both at the middle schools and the after school Youth Arts Academy. Please donate to SOKM, and tell your friends, neighbors, and those parents whose children attend school or an after-school music activity sponsored by Pleasant Valley School District. Your money goes to purchase music, instruments, and to pay for musical instruction and scholarships for talented children who otherwise could not afford to play an instrument. In addition, check with your employer to see if they have a matching funds program. The children count on you! Donations can be made securely on-line. Click here to donate or sent a check to SOKM, P.O. Box 2244, Camarillo, CA 93011.

Calling all 5th-graders . . . Do not miss the chance to enroll your child in one of P.V.S.D.'s outstanding middle school band programs!   To make certain a space is saved for your child, contact either of our band directors, Mr. Reese Copsey at Las Colinas or Miss Trish Copsey at Monte Vista.
Save Our Kids' Music General Meeting, Tuesday, September 7, 2010 The next Save Our Kids' Music (SOKM) Board Meeting will be on Tuesday, September 7th at 7:30 PM in room C-3 at the Los Altos School Site - 700 Temple Ave, Camarillo, CA 93010 (where after school band is currently held). All are welcome to attend!

2009 Fundraising Goal of $20,000 Achieved! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the individuals who answered our call for 200 people to donate $100! As of 12/31/09, we had individual donations to SOKM of $20,745. A special thank you to the Eugene Baker Family for their donation of $2,000 and the Charles Perry Family for their donation of $500. Thank you for helping to keep the music alive! Donations are always accepted from individuals, businesses or organizations. Check with your employer for matching donation programs. Thank you to Amgen, Boeing, and Verizon for providing matching funds to SOKM. To donate, either go to our Donate page to make a secure donation via PayPal or mail a check to SOKM, P.O. Box 2244, Camarillo, CA 93011.

Save Our Kids' Music Selected as Service Organization of the Year Save Our Kids' Music was selected by the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce as the Service Organization of the Year! A huge debt of gratitude to the many, many dedicated individuals who have worked so diligently over the 19 years that SOKM has been in existence to make sure that the children of Camarillo have access to music education which is an integral and necessary part of a well-rounded education. SOKM will be honored on March 27th at the Las Posas Country Club.

Camarillo Fiesta Association Donation Thank you to the Camarillo Fiesta Association for donating $2,000 to SOKM in December 2009. We thank them profusely for the consistent support they have provided to SOKM over the years! Camarillo Art and Jazz Festival Thank you the Camarillo Art and Jazz Festival Association which donated $4,500 to the Pleasant Valley School District for music and art programs!

Used Instrument Donation Do you have a perfectly good (more or less) musical instrument gathering dust, or do you know someone who does? Consider donating the instrument to S.O.K.M. We provide instruments to Pleasant Valley School District for our young musicians. All instruments welcome. Please contact us at saveourkidsmusic@gmail.com.

Christmas...In October? It was Christmas in October for the students of the Pleasant Valley School District (PVSD) Instrumental Music Department as Save Our Kids’ Music (SOKM) delivered 16 instruments that were purchased with a Community Service Grant from the City of Camarillo. A string bass, 2 violas, 1 violin, 2 tubas, 2 baritone horns, 1 baritone saxophone, 1 tenor saxophone, a bassoon, an oboe, 2 piccolos, bongos and a marching bass drum were purchased for the students to use.
One goal of SOKM is to provide an instrument for every child who wishes to participate in the instrumental music program. Donations of instruments that are hiding in closets are always welcome! Every instrument donated to SOKM allows a child unable to afford to rent or purchase an instrument the opportunity to experience the benefits of a musical education. Music is one of the few subjects that uses both sides of the brain and has proven to increase standardized test scores. If you have an instrument to donate, please contact us at saveourkidsmusic@gmail.com.

$10,000 Donation to PVSD
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the SOKM Board was able to donate $10,000 to the Pleasant Valley School District at the Board of Trustees meeting on September 3, 2009. The grant will be used to support the After School Music Program. A list of our current donors is updated continually and can be viewed by clicking on Donors.

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Ralphs Reward SOKM is now enrolled in the Community Organization program with Ralphs. Every time you shop at Ralph’s and use your Rewards Card, a small percentage will be donated to SOKM. Go here to sign up. You will need your Ralphs Rewards Card number and the SOKM Organization# which is 91608. You must re-register each year after August 31st to keep your information and donations updated.

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