GGUSD and Philharmonic Society Partner to Grow Music Programs

• Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Four schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District have been awarded grants through the Philharmonic Society of Orange County's Strike Up the Band program, continuing a longstanding partnership to expand students' access to music education.

Morningside Elementary School received the Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s Strike Up the Band grant during its school-wide Friday morning assembly on October 16. Morningside is one of four Garden Grove Unified School District schools selected this year, alongside Alamitos and Lake intermediate schools and Garden Grove High School. Only 13 schools across Orange County received the grant, which provides up to $10,000 worth of musical instruments and materials.

Morningside will use its grant to strengthen its instrumental music program, receiving 12 violins, eight violas, two cellos and one euphonium. The instruments will give more students the opportunity to participate in the school’s bands and orchestras.

“We are truly grateful to the Philharmonic Society of Orange County for this generous donation of music equipment,” said GGUSD Trustee Dina Nguyen. “This creates opportunities for students who would like to join band or orchestra and meets a growing need at Morningside, where more students are interested in learning to play an instrument.”

Katherine Yang, Philharmonic Society of Orange County VP of Education & Community Engagement adds, “In my role with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, one of my greatest joys is delivering instruments and music materials to schools across Orange County. Our Strike Up the Band program thrives thanks to our generous supporters allowing us to witness the incredible growth of these music programs year after year.”

The Strike Up The Band program is an initiative dedicated to enriching school music programs throughout Orange County through the granting of musical instruments and teaching materials. Since its inception in 2013, Strike Up The Band has provided over $730,000 in instruments, teaching materials, and supplies to 88 schools across Orange County, including 57 Title I schools (schools where at least 40% of students come from low-income families).

The Strike Up the Band grant program aims to build young people’s appreciation of music and make a meaningful impact on school music programs by providing instruments and teaching materials. Since the program began, 14 GGUSD schools have received grants totaling $109,500 over 13 years.

GGUSD's Visual and Performing Arts team works collaboratively with the Philharmonic Society through the Society's Youth Music Education programs, particularly the Concerts for Second Grade. The 45-minute performance features a full marching band from the Southern California Brass Consortium, which introduces students to the role of each instrument through familiar tunes. Led by former Disneyland Band conductor Kurt Curtis, the concert is a lively celebration of music. Since the program returned in the 2024–25 school year, it has served 4,233 Garden Grove second graders.

GGUSD is proud of its award-winning Visual and Performing Arts program, which has earned the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education award for excellence in music learning for eight consecutive years.

 

 

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