The Goducate Orchestra in Laguna, The Philippines, was invited to play at a shopping mall on Dec 22. It was good exposure for the orchestra. Shoppers stayed back not just to take photographs with the members of the orchestra, but also to invite the orchestra to play for private functions and also to enquire about possible tuition. We are in the process of trying to rent premises for a studio. When the studio is ready, the members of the orchestra will be able to use the place to give music lessons and thus earn some money for their living expenses and school allowances.
The mall gave the orchestra a grocery voucher worth PHP3000 ($68), which was used for a party to celebrate hitting the target of the fund-raising concert, Concert for a Cause, which was held earlier in December and which raised PHP33,700, sufficient to support 4 college students for a year.
The mall has also invited the orchestra to play again there in February.
