Building and nurturing a community school is truly a community effort, and we are deeply grateful to all of our extended "family" for their generous gifts of time, dollars and expertise. If you haven’t already, we hope you will consider joining us now, as a volunteer, as a donor of gifts-in-kind, with a gift in support of our annual campaign, or as you plan your estate. For more information, please contact our Director of Development at 585-454-4403, ext. 15, or at peg@hochstein.org.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are the backbone of a community school and are generally drawn from, but certainly not limited to, our students and family members. Won’t you consider sharing just a few hours helping us with:

• The management of our volunteer organization, the Hochstein Highlighters. The Highlighters meet four times yearly on Saturday mornings to plan for Musical Feast, Bagel Sales and Lemonade Sales. Proceeds of these efforts, as well as proceeds from our vending machines and can recycling, generally total between $4,000-$5,000 per year and have supported our faculty recital series, "Spotlight on Faculty" and Youth Symphony Orchestra Concert Tours, among others.



• Bagel sales occur in two shifts on Saturday mornings during the school year at both Hochstein and the Downtown United Presbyterian Church. This is one of the most popular activities of the Highlighters!



• Lemonade and bottled water sales are offered during the intermission of concerts performed by outside organizations such as Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Women’s Community Chorus and Mitzie Collins, among others. Those volunteering receive free admission to the concert.



• Musical Feast planning, staffing and baking. Generally scheduled for the first Saturday in February, Musical Feast is an annual event that features an instrument petting zoo, games, bake sale and often impromptu performances by students!



• Performathon staffing. Volunteers are scheduled in two-hour shifts to serve as ambassadors of Hochstein, either working the check-in tables, or the information table.



• Receptions. Receptions follow two annual concerts, the David Hochstein Recital Competition (scheduled on an April or May weeknight) and Honors Convocation (scheduled the first Friday in June). Flower arrangers, bakers, host(ess)es or cleaners are always needed!



• Ushering. Hochstein presents a variety of concerts each year, including the Wednesday noontime "Live from Hochstein," the hour-long "Spotlight on Faculty" scheduled on various Sundays at 4:00 pm or Fridays at 8:00 pm, and our annual student Presberg Ensembles Concert (in early May) and Honors Convocation (the first Friday in June).

Gifts-in-Kind Wish List

Gifts-in-kind, in good condition, are always welcomed, and when accompanied by an appraisal or estimated value, are acknowledged with a letter for your tax purposes.

Ongoing needs include:

• Comfortable waiting room furniture
• 4-drawer file cabinets
• Recording microphones
• Piano lamps
• Office furniture, especially desks and desk chairs
• Conference table and chairs
• Instruments, especially pianos (exceptions: organs, banjos, accordions)
• Music stands
• Folding chairs
• Wall clocks

Gifts to our Annual Campaign

Tuition fees cover less than 65% of our annual expenses—that coupled with increased demand for our programs (including tuition assistance) and diminishing funds from established sources such as the United Way, Monroe County and New York State, leaves us with a significant gap between income and expenses. Your gift to our Annual Campaign helps to bridge that gap and ensures that our programs continue to be available to anyone in the community, regardless of financial hardship. We are happy to acknowledge gifts in honor or in memory of someone special or in recognition of a specific event or program. Additionally, all donors receive a charitable gift tax deduction.

If you are interested in making a donation to Hochstein at this time, please print one of the donation form links below. Complete and mail it to Hochstein School of Music & Dance, 50 North Plymouth Avenue, Rochester, New York 14614.

Donation Form in PDF Format      Donation Form in Microsoft Word 2000 Format
 

Planned Giving

You can help secure our future by including Hochstein in your estate planning. There are a variety of ways in which to do so, many with significant tax advantages. If you have already considered Hochstein, please share that information with our Development Office, so that we may both acknowledge your thoughtfulness and generosity, and better plan for our future. As always, we recommend that you discuss any changes in your estate planning with a qualified professional. For more information, please contact Hochstein’s Development Office at 585-454-4403, ext. 15, or at peg@hochstein.org.