Tickets to attend the evening shows for all fine arts performances (K-12) are now $3.00 per person. Children age 5 and under (and of course the students performing) are still free.

October 16th, 2019

Dear SUSD Families,

Tickets to attend the evening shows for all fine arts performances (K-12) are now $3.00 per person. Children age 5 and under (and of course the students performing) are still free.

Why the increase? Simply put, much like the cost of gas or fast food, prices rise over time with inflation. The cost of putting on concerts has slowly increased and, to allow for more funding to the fine arts programs, ticket prices have been adjusted to match that.

What happens with the money? A portion of the concert ticket money goes to the C.F.A. - it pays for use of the venue and the staff who do lights and sound for the concerts - but the rest of the money directly funds your school's fine arts program!  This means more money will be going towards sheet music, instruments, classroom materials, and other vital instructional equipment for your student’s use. It also opens the door for bigger projects, such as a timpani for the high school band or a new speaker system for an elementary music classroom, to have a chance of impacting the program for years to come. In short, the funds improve the overall quality of fine arts education your student receives.

But $3 is too much! Sporting events are $5 per person. A meal at a fast food restaurant is usually $6 or more per person. Professional concerts are at least $20 per ticket, if not $100+. Why should we short-change the efforts of our fine arts students? Of course, in an ideal world, we wouldn’t charge anything. We don’t want to break the bank. But to be frank, many of our fine arts programs have had their budgets decreased or cut entirely. We simply don’t get the funding to allow for free concerts and we want to show our students that their efforts are valued.

Thank you for your help in supporting this change and spreading the word. We know that this will be an adjustment for all of us and ask you for your patience as we get used to the new policy.

Sincerely,

The Performing and Fine Arts Teachers

Safford Unified School District