Our Story
Executive Director, Pam Brown holds a Music Education degree from the University of Florida, and began studying flute at a young age. Upon entering the public school system as a K-12 music educator, she quickly realized there was a severe lack of funding for music programs. She taught for a decade, often without text books for music appreciation classes, without support for band kids who couldn’t afford instruments, and without any stipend for basic classroom supplies.
Shaniko Music Sanctuary is geared toward raising money for local school music programs to support music teachers and their students.
Shaniko Music Sanctuary (SMS) is dedicated to bringing music to rural youth in Wasco County.
The governing board is a carefully selected group of individuals, each chosen for outstanding specialities to effectively support the SMS mission. Entering the third year as a nonprofit, SMS continues to expand its reach through the community.
Aligning with the music education mission, our main fundraising source is the production of the annual Tygh Valley Bluegrass Jamboree. With the help of fifteen loyal volunteers, we host 600 attendees at the Wasco County Fairgrounds for a long-weekend of jamming, professional bluegrass performances, workshops, open mics, band scrambles, friendly souls, and bluegrass enthusiasts.
Ticket proceeds go directly to bolstering music education in South Wasco County. Shaniko Music Sanctuary has donated $3900 to the South Wasco County School District music program, and is looking to contribute moving forward with a more programmatic approach, rather than with funding alone.
Built on the Mission: Bringing Music to Rural Youth.
Our Approach
Integrating music into the Wasco County Community starts with Youth Accessibility to Music Education.
Bringing musicians into music classrooms to perform for — and play music with — students is a big part of building a foundation of music & community.
Building a strong music culture starts with three main components:
Creating interest in the community through live performances
Providing students with access to well-functioning instruments
Offering educational support to students and local music teachers, alike.
We are committed to nurturing partnerships with local organizations and schools to support longevity of the arts in our region.
Our Beliefs
The Impact of Music reaches far beyond Learning to Play an Instrument.
The learning process is a lifelong journey that buildings relationships and social prowess.
Musicians are creative problem solvers. They collaborate well in a team environment. They have learned the nuance of emotional expression through music.
Today’s support of youth participation in music contributes directly to a workforce-ready culture in tomorrow’s generation of workers and entrepreneurs.
Strong music culture also resonates with visitors. The Balch Hotel in Dufur features regularly-scheduled live music performances throughout the summer. We’d love to build an opportunity for budding local musicians to perform for an audience.
The Obstacle
The recent 2023 health and economic survey assessment by South Wasco Alliance has articulated that the general population in the Wasco County Region is under-resourced, lacks critical infrastructures, and has lower income when compared to Oregon as a whole. This finding, when stacked with the cost to students to participate in band programs, suggests that music is inaccessible for many Wasco County families.
