Bringing Music Back into Siskiyou County

Since the pandemic, many music programs have been dropped. Local music educators have been coming together to bring more live music back to Siskiyou County.

This October 19th is the 2nd annual Siskiyou Countywide Local Musicians Concert. This year, they are introducing students as young as 5 years old to play in some of the assemblies.

Carol Taforo, a retired elementary school music teacher, along with Yreka High School Art Director Eric Seiler, who also teaches chamber choir, folk and rock guitar, beginning piano, and more, and Julie Titus, who is the music coordinator, have been working with others to bring more live music to Siskiyou County.

The concert will be held on October 19th at 4:00 PM at Mountain Christian Fellowship, located at 2324 S. Mt. Shasta Blvd., Mount Shasta, CA 96067. Organizers are asking for donations to help support and encourage music in Siskiyou County. Attendees are encouraged to talk and visit with the musicians during intermission.

“Playing together with others helps motivate and bring more awareness. It also encourages young musicians who are not playing in school to continue to play and perform with others,” says Carol Taforo.

“Music programs have been cut from most of the Siskiyou County schools, and we want more community involvement to help support this dying art. All we are asking for are donations. We are hoping to put on annual performances,” says Julie Titus. “This venue is to bring more awareness to Siskiyou County and help support music.”

The concert features about 8 adults and 13 children who will perform an assortment of classical and traditional music, along with folk music and ballads, on a variety of instruments.

Sponsored by Pacific Crest Music and Music by the Mountain, both 501(c)(3) organizations, their mission statement is “to provide quality classical music education and transformative musical experiences to young musicians, enriching both their artistry and the cultural life of the Northern California community.”