THE BEACON MUSIC PROGRAM: ESSENTIALS

OUR MISSION
The mission of the Beacon Music Program is to awaken, inspire, and further the appreciation of and participation in music study and performance. We make music education a fundamental building block in our children's lives through the instruction and creation of musical communities. We believe that music is both essential to the human experience and vital to the foundation of a socially conscious learning environment.

PROGRAM GOALS
The BeaconMusic Program is dedicated to providing comprehensive music education for our diverse student body by fostering growth, understanding, responsibility, and consciousness.

ABOUT THE BEACON MUSIC PROGRAM
Beacon delivers enriching and engaging courses of music study and appreciation, including classes in theory, instrumentation, and musicology. Our philosophy has always been rooted in the principles of hard work, discipline, and fun. In 1997, the program was launched with a small donation of instruments from the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, sparking the creation of the first band at the Beacon School. In 2002, the torch was passed to Mr. Brian Letiecq, who has since furthered the growth of the BeaconMusic Program in musical resources and student commitment. In 2004, with aspiring musicians exceeding the number of musical instruments, our students planned fundraising activities such as raffles, after-school showcases, and bake sales. With the money raised, the first annual Beacon Battle of the Bands was held in the drama studio in May. Nearly two hundred students, teachers, administrators, parents, and friends attended. Ten student bands performed a wide range of musical styles highlighting the diversity and strength of our program. As a result of the burgeoning success of the event, Battle of the Bands 2005: Operation Dazzle was moved to an outdoor venue at a neighborhood school. Over five hundred people attended B.O.B., which was expanded to include Beacon art and drama students. The event catapulted the BeaconMusic Program to distinction in the New York City musical community. Our program now includes over two hundred active musicians; our students have gone on to receive scholarships in music from Purchase, Wisconsin, and Berklee. A 2004 Beacon graduate won a $5,000 scholarship from the W.O.E. (World of Expression) Bertelsmann Foundation for his original composition. We continue to plan for further expansion, with the goal of making our program a creative and dynamic pillar of the Beacon educational experience.

HISTORY OF THE BEACON SCHOOL
The Beacon School was founded in 1993 by Ruth Lacey and Stephen Stoll, District 3 educators, with help from community parents. Their vision was to create a small, selective secondary school that would thrive in a diverse public school system. Since its inception, Beacon has offered a rigorous yet individualized college preparatory curriculum in which information technology and aesthetic education play an important part. Beacon offers its current 1,250 students a learning approach that prepares them for situations they will encounter in college, in the world of work, and in their communities. We are fortunate to attract students who represent the many cultures and ethnicities of New York City. We feel this diversity strengthens our student body by allowing a multitude of perspectives and ideas to generate rich educational experiences for each child. Likewise, the Beacon staff and faculty is composed of intellectual and socially-conscious individuals with divergent opinions and backgrounds, thus affording our community a lively forum for debate and growth.

OUR PURPOSE AND VISION
Our purpose is to provide our students with the opportunities, resources, and support to find meaning and success in their lives. The school's project-presentation model requires students to reflect on what they have learned and to articulate that process, thus embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Each Beacon student is tasked with creating a system of values, goals, and beliefs that will inform his or her decisions. Students are encouraged to delve fully into the community by participating in the school's governance, collaborating in the classroom, and contributing to an ethos of community service. Ultimately, a Beacon education nurtures passionate students in their transition to adulthood, allowing them to embrace life with a strong sense of purpose, moral fortitude, mental agility, and social consciousness.