Truckee Excellence in Music Parents Organization

Truckee Excellence in Music Parent Organization, Inc. (TEMPO) is a non-profit organization established in 1995 with the primary goal to support the award-winning Truckee High School Band (THS) program including growing music appreciation and music events in the Truckee and North Tahoe regions.  After COVID we found the need to support the middle school program as well and incorporated supporting the Alder Creek Middle School (ACMS) bands and music programs.   Our primary goal is to ensure that all students who wish to fully participate in music programs can do so without financial burden.

Per California State law, since music and band are enrolled classes in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District rather than after school activities, we are not permitted to ask families for financial contributions.  To be able to provide our music students with the numerous outside events and activities, including performance opportunities in provided uniforms, requires a significant amount of funding. TEMPO supports all Truckee High School and Alder Creek Middle School music classes including symphonic band, concert band, and jazz band. TEMPO also provides funding for students participating in state and regional honor bands, music festivals, workshops, spring band tours, local music outreach, scholarships for summer music education and graduating seniors.

Measure A and Measure AA provide strong support of Arts education in our community, helping provide instruments, instrument supplies, repairs, sheet music, classroom supplies, other music and classroom equipment.  TEMPO covers remaining items that are not provided by Measure A or the schools including symphonic band uniforms and shoes, band t-shirts, trip expenses, membership fees, transportation, student band council endeavors, and festival and honor band registration costs which highly enrich the music experience for our students. In other communities, these costs are often passed on to the parents and students directly such that not all students are able to participate.

We have seen tremendous growth in the music programs following the Covid pandemic.  This has required more instrument purchases, more uniform purchases, and we are also on the brink of physically running out of room on the High School and Middle School stages to support these high numbers of band students.  We have recently added a second Jazz Band class, which meets for 0 period at 6:30am every morning before school due to high enrollment from motivated and dedicated music students at Truckee High School.  

TEMPO is an I.R.C(c)(3) public charity and California nonprofit public benefit corporation.  Tax ID: # 45-4245409.