Chirping trumpets and proud parents’ cheers marked the beginning of Celebrate the Music on April 27. Between performances, attendees lined up to eat local and enjoyed booths manned by community volunteers. 

Each year, Celebrate the Music is organized as a whole-day event at Twin Pines Park to immerse the local community in performances from school music programs around Belmont. It’s complete with a battle of the bands between the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and Carlmont High School students. 

“You can see the energy crescendo throughout the day. We start off celebrating the kids who are just starting on their musical journeys, and it moves all the way through to college-age students who still want to come back and do a battle of the bands with Carlmont students,” said Ardythe Andrews, the executive director of SchoolForce.

SchoolForce is a non-profit foundation that works to ensure well-rounded public education for the schools in the Belmont Redwood Shores School District (BRSSD). Run by parents and community volunteers, SchoolForce hosts fundraisers to support educational enrichment, such as the treasured music programs.    

“It’s a great time to celebrate and showcase our kids and what they’re learning in our music programs and in our schools,” said Julia Mates, the mayor of Belmont.

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Chloe Chu

Saxophone players from UC Davis dramatically bend backward while performing, showcasing the artistry of marching band. "I like seeing how younger students can see all the older musicians and what they can look forward to when they grow up," said Jasmine Lu, a choir student from Ralston Middle School.

The festival stands for more than music classes; it supports the entire community as a whole. A range of local eateries set up food trucks, organizations like the Belmont Waterdog Run promote their community events, and city institutions like the San Mateo County Libraries and the Belmont Police Department engage with kids during Celebrate the Music.

Diversity, in particular, is important to the Celebrate the Music volunteer planning committee, which focuses on the representation of different groups and types of people.

“We want the festival to represent our communities, because that’s what this is all about. Our schools look like our communities, and we want the festival to reflect that as well,” Andrews said.

Inaugurated in 2002, under the name Save the Music, the festival initially aimed to raise enough money so that music education could remain a requirement in BRSSD schools.

The event was renamed to Celebrate the Music in 2020 when the organizers raised enough money to ensure the future of fourth and fifth-grade music education. Rather than a fundraising event, Celebrate the Music became a commemoration of the community. 

“The biggest reason for Celebrate the Music is what’s called a friend-raiser. It’s building support in the community for the work that is done in our schools to provide our students with access to the arts and to truly celebrate the things that our students are able to do, thanks to the programs they have in the schools,” Sarver said. 

Attendees also agree that Celebrate the Music’s value goes beyond fundraising and serves as an important venue for community-building.

“I think it’s very significant to allow people to come together and celebrate the different skills they have and just to have fun. I love meeting my friends here, and there are a lot of Carlmont students here every year,” said Aryan Agarwal, a sophomore at Carlmont High School and an attendee at Celebrate the Music.

“The festival, in and of itself, is able to showcase that harnessed power of community and how good things can happen when we all come together to support that,” Andrews said.

Performers take the main stage of Celebrate the Music, with their vibrant instruments and voices showcased on stage. There are students from BRSSD, Ralston Middle School, Carlmont High School, UC Davis, and other outside music organizations performing throughout the afternoon.

Many attendees look forward to Battle of the Bands, which is an immersive showdown between the Carlmont High School Pep Band and the UC Davis Marching Band.

Aside from its central organizers, much of Celebrate the Music’s success is attributed to the volunteers who lend a hand on the day of the event.

Volunteer Kip Leong was the first face attendees saw at Twin Pines Park, manning the admissions booth.

“I like how it gets all the different schools together, all the different grades. There’s a lot of other events in the community going on, so it’s giving back in the community as a whole.” Leong said.

“Every year, we have well over 200 volunteers who work during the festival weekend, and we have 30 or 40 who come to help with the setup. And then on Sunday, we have volunteers who start working at 7 a.m. and all day long until 8 or 9 p.m., making sure all of the activities during the festival go smoothly,” Sarver said. 

Many of the volunteers come from Carlmont High School, especially those who volunteer with the Carlmont Theater Tech Association (CTTA) and Key Club. They’re first to arrive and last to leave.  

“I got here at 9 a.m., but I didn’t technically start till like 10. We were setting up, bringing stuff from place to place, just doing whatever was needed,” said Jordan Davis, a sophomore at Carlmont High School who was volunteering.

Beyond giving back to their Scout Troop or class choir, many volunteers simply enjoy being in each other’s company.

Celebrate the Music has become a long-loved tradition among various families. Maya Kornyeva, a Carlmont alumna, volunteered alongside her mother.

“Growing up, I’ve come here a couple of times, and I’ve really enjoyed it. I wanted to give back and just see people having fun,” said Yakira Braunstein, a volunteer and freshman at Carlmont High School. 

Celebrate the Music’s impact extends beyond the music itself. While Celebrate the Music was originally a way for music programs to fundraise and reach potential donors, it is now an opportunity for local organizations and businesses to do the same. Many businesses and non-profit organizations set up stands, tables, or interactive booths at Celebrate the Music to entertain, educate, and interact with the residents of Belmont.