Helix Instrumental Music Association is holding its 31st Giving Gala Dinner on March 13 at 5 p.m. at The Thursday Club in San Diego. Helix Instrumental Music Association is one of largest and most successful nonprofit school music programs in east county San Diego formed to support the Instrumental Music program at Helix Charter High School in La Mesa. The Music Program at Helix currently consists of approximately 180 students in eight main groups: Drumline, Bagpipes, Color Guard, Orchestra, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and Wind Symphony. All three bands, as well as the color guard and bagpipes, combine to form the Helix Highlander Band.
HIMA Events Chair Jennifer Nolan said this is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year.
“We are holding this gala to support our seven music ensembles,” she said. “It is a dinner, an open bar, live musical entertainment, and a silent and live auction. Participants can come, enjoy a nice dinner, enjoy some great music, and get the opportunity to bid on some really great options. We have some baskets. Some really big-ticket items. It is a really fun event. The best thing about it is that all the proceeds go to fund our music programs. Our uniforms, our equipment repairs, new music. We have outside instructors that we employ to help our student musicians. We really like to get the community involved. It is a great way for them to show support the arts in our commu¬nities.”
HIMA President Becky Chrisope said the Helix music program is set apart from other music programs in east county.
“Not only is it our orchestra, but we also have our color guard, and we have a specific bagpipe program, where the Helix Highlanders of the Scottish Highlands. The opportunities we have to present these stu-dents with our pretty diverse, it is a unique opportunity for us to fund different experiences for them as well,” she said.
Chrisope said they encourage community members, even if they are not a part of the east county community, anyone who loves to support arts education in schools to attend the gala.
“But also, if they are not able to attend and want to give, there is a PayPal link on [its website] as well, and they are welcome to submit a monetary donation,” she said.
Nolan said Helix Charter has the largest marching band in east county.
“Something else that is really neat, these kids, when they do marching band, they go to Marching Band Camp, from 9-5 p.m. almost every day for two weeks with special clinicians who are music experts on dif¬ferent instruments and help them individually. They are extremely serious, and they work very hard. One of the nice things about band is like other sports in which every person has a role, every person has a place, so there is no sitting on the bench. Everybody has a part to play. It really fosters a great amount of teamwork,” she said.
