If you are involved in or know any orchestral musician at LHS, you’ve probably heard, played in, or went to a Music Marathon in the past. You’ve also probably been begged to sponsor a student in the past couple of weeks. So what is this Music Marathon?

Music Marathon is a Sponsorship Drive run by the Orchestra Program at Lakewood High School to raise $10,000. It is run by the students, who ask people in the community to ‘sponsor’ them in this concert. It takes the place of selling products, with 100% of donations helping the program directly. This helps all six of the orchestras at LHS, including Lakewood Project, the rock orchestra at the school.

To show appreciation to the sponsors, LHS orchestra students show up November 18th at 6:00 am in pajamas, practice all day long, then put on a free concert at the end of the night at 5:30pm, still in said pajamas. Also, when sponsors come to see the free concert, they get to enjoy a “Desserts with the Arts” before they watch the show.

There are many ways to donate, from filling out a form received form a student, calling the book room ((216)-529-4047), or making a check payable to Lakewood City Schools. The donation levels go form friend $5-$24, officer $25-$49, 1st chair $50-$74, concertmaster $75-$99, conductor $100-$199, composer $200-$299, and benefactor $300 and above. Anyone who donates over $100 can conduct the orchestra, play with the Lakewood Project, or simply dedicate a song to a person of their choosing.

So whether you’re a friend, parent, or teacher becoming a sponsor, Music Marathon is a fun and creative way to raise funds for a great program.