Telling Our Story

 

“I owe Rocky Ridge a huge debt of gratitude. It set the course of my life.”    -- Robert Walter,Jr. principal oboe, Metropolitan Opera, NY

 

For 69 years, Rocky Ridge Music Center has embodied excellence in music education, offered in a setting of unparalleled natural beauty. From the first small group of piano students who traveled to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with Beth Miller Harrod in 1942 to the nearly 300 students who practice and perform at our historic Colorado mountain location each summer, Rocky Ridge has maintained a reputation for an uncompromising commitment to excellence best expressed in our mission statement:

Rocky Ridge nurtures the creative, musical and personal development of youth in an inspirational setting.

Our unwavering belief that musical excellence can be nurtured in a non-competitive and supportive environment continues today.

 

Our students tell the story best:

“in these five weeks I have taken such a big step forward, learning how to practice and perform better. It is one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life."

”Rocky Ridge is unique in the opportunities it presents to students”
“Rocky Ridge is a very supportive community and the most
beautiful place I've ever been”

Parents agree:

“My daughter’s teacher provided her with excellent instruction…He provided guidance and insights into the music she had brought with her, helped her explore new vistas in music and he helped her attain a higher standard in her playing.”

We are fortunate to own a beautiful seventeen acre National Historic site at the base of 14,256 foot Longs Peak in Colorado. Our 1907 lodge and concert hall are architectural gems, described by University of Houston professor James Pickering as the finest remaining example of turn of the century lodge architecture in the Tahosa Valley of Colorado. Our commitment to preserving our historic buildings, delivering music programs of excellence and living gently with our natural environment are costly. Tuition could never meet those costs, and we believe that our education should be available to students of all income backgrounds.

The Rocky Ridge experience is typified in the diversity of our students who come from many different states and several foreign countries every year. They may live in a city, suburb or rural area.  All YAS students, scholarship or paying, participate in our camp work experience as well as the music and recreational opportunities. Rocky Ridge is truly unique and the experience has long term benefits that our alumni acknowledge.

 

Donations

Another way to contribute is through donations.
Here are some ideas:

Donate Towards a Scholarship:

Scholarships are extremely important at Rocky Ridge to provide opportunities for gifted students. Rocky Ridge provides approximately $45,000 in scholarships and work study opportunities each year. You can help fund scholarships by contributing an unrestricted gift of any amount.

You can endow a named scholarship for perpetuity for $15,000 or more.  Payments may be scheduled over a three year period.  You could also provide a named yearly scholarship award such as $750-$3,000.  Please contact the development office for more details on scholarships.

 

Donate a vehicle:

Through an arrangement with Vehicles for Charity you can donate any car, motorcycle, truck or boat, whether it runs or not.  Visit their site and under "Colorado" use the "Rocky Ridge button".

 

Donate miscellaneous Items:

The below items may be new or used. Contact us, for information.  We can pick up in the area around Estes Park.

• Wooden bunk beds and mattresses
• Beds
• Small Refrigerators
• Spotlights for cabins
• Adironodack chairs, rockers and log furniture for cabins
• Lamps and reading lights for cabins
• Pianos
• Van
• Outdoor path lights
• Musician chairs for orchestra & chairs for concert hall
• Serving plates and utensils
• Area rugs, particularly Native American designs

 

Donate Towards Property Improvements:

• Renovate a historic cabin:  $10,000 to $25,000
• Provide new chairs for our concert hall:  $15,000
• Bury water lines to extend our season:  $5.000
• Endowed faculty chair (pick your instrument:)  $50,000
• Resident String Quartet for one YAS season:  $15,000 to $20,000
• Sponsor a "Music in the Mountains" Concert:  $5,000
• Artist in Residence for 2 days:  $2,000 and up
• Subsidize transportation for needy student:  $300 and up

 

Giving & Volunteering

We appreciate and depend upon the generosity of our alumni, parents, friends and others who believe in Rocky Ridge and want to make sure we can continue our mission in the future.

 

Planned Giving:

We at Rocky Ridge are deeply appreciative of the individuals who have included us in their estate planning. Please consider making a bequest to Rocky Ridge, as part of the distribution of your estate, property or life insurance.

Bequests can be structured in different ways and a planned gift can be beneficial to other heirs.

If you need assistance or have questions, contact your attorney or Rocky Ridge. If you choose to do this let us know so we can express our thanks now.

Volunteering:

We love our volunteers and have many ways you can get involved. If you are interested and live or summer in the Estes Park area, let us know. 

Contact us at: 970 586-4031 or by email.

 

 

 

 

Naming Opportunities

 

A major infrastructure contribution entitles you to have that facility named. Conside it as a lasting way to leave your mark at Rocky Ridge

 

Rocky Ridge Music Center is a large campus of buildings and facilities that are constantly being enhanced, maintained and rennovated.   We have cabins to rebuild, offices and practice rooms to rennovate and serious infrastructure items like the waste water treatment plant to maintain. All of these offer opportunities for large contributors who wish to honor a particular individual or create a memorial in the name of a loved one.  A gift may be done as a one time contribution or pledged over several years.

Probably the single most signficant structure in need of a rebuilding is the concert hall.  A rebuilt and enlarged hall would go a long way toward enhancing the Rocky Ridge experience.

There is a wide range of naming opportunities to fit different budgets.  In past years we have placed custom built "named" benches around the campus with the donator's name engraved on a plaque on the bench.

 

Please contact the Music Director to discuss your ideas and
get a better idea of our critical needs.