Merit Parents

Parent volunteers are essential to the success of all Merit programs. We value their commitment to their children’s music education and to the school, and we welcome their contributions as dedicated volunteers. Parents are a great source of support after school, at performances and in our administrative offices, and we encourage every parent to lend a helping hand in any way they can. Please consider volunteering your time and talents to one or more of the exciting projects at Merit. New and returning parents are always a welcome addition to the Merit family.

Preparatory Parents

The Preparatory Program parents have consistently been a valuable source of support for Merit’s faculty and staff and are a great example of the positive impact parent volunteers can have on Merit’s programs. Many Preparatory parents volunteer their time while their students are attending class. This is a convenient yet helpful way to assist the staff with one or more of their many projects.

Preparatory Program parents will also need volunteers to work the first ever Prep-a-thon. This will be a student-centered event similar to the Performathon. The all-day musical extravaganza is organized and run by parent volunteers. Prepathon will require many parent volunteer hours and will serve to recognize outstanding student and parent performances. We hope to see you there!

Alice S. Pfaelzer Tuition-free Conservatory Parents

The Parents’ Association is a self-governing group of parents whose children are involved in the Alice S. Pfaelzer Tuition-free Conservatory (TfC). The group was originally formed to support TfC faculty and to assist staff in Merit’s fundraising efforts, and that tradition continues today.

The Parents’ Association is dedicated to ensuring that our students receive high-quality music instruction. We hold monthly meetings from October through April as a means of engaging our parents on a variety of topics. By being a part of the Parents’ Association you will have the opportunity to meet other parents, discuss program updates, receive information about scholarships and music camp opportunities, share student success stories, and to plan the main fundraising event that supports TfC – Performathon.

Performathon is our annual 12-hour non-stop musical recital, and our parents have generously devoted their time, energy and talents to making this a successful fundraising event. In 2007 we will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Performathon and know it will be our most wonderful event yet! As part of the planning process, parents are encouraged to join one of four committees - raffle, ad book, food and decorations - to ensure the continued success of Performathon.

The Parents’ Association meetings are on Saturdays at noon in the Ann R. Monaco Community Room at the Joy Faith Knapp Music Center. Please check the bulletin board or check the website for any changes in location, updates on events, or new committee meetings.