Help NC State’s Music Program March Forward on Day of Giving

This Day of Giving, NC State’s Department of Performing Arts and Technology (DPAT) will celebrate its past, present and future with a generous challenge gift. 

When the Music Enhancement Fund reaches 200 total gifts on March 26, an anonymous donor will give $100,000 to the marching band. 

“We hope our gift provides the marching band with the resources to grow, innovate and continue inspiring generations of students,” the anonymous donor said. “Music has the power to shape lives and build community, and we are excited to play a part in securing its future at NC State.”

The 2024-25 school year marks the 100th anniversary of the music program (now DPAT) at NC State. 

Throughout the last century, the program and its various ensembles, including the marching band, jazz band, choirs and orchestras, have provided opportunities for students from all majors to enjoy unique experiences in music. 

“We’re very fortunate to have such supportive friends and donors who are willing to give back to the university because they had a great experience with us,” said DPAT Department Head Stuart Benkert. “We’re fortunate to have friends that will support us in meaningful ways. Support at any level is always meaningful, but something of this magnitude has the potential to help with a lot of programs and a lot of students.” 

Paul Garcia, NC State’s director of bands, said that the $100,000 gift for the marching band would “open doors to a lot of possibilities.”

These possibilities include travel opportunities, new instruments and more.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Garcia said. “Anything that helps us support the program and helps us support the students is wonderful. It’s a really generous gift, and doing it the way they’re doing it, trying to inspire others to also give and help out, that’s as good as it gets. We really do appreciate it.” 

Anyone who has attended an NC State sporting event over the years has felt firsthand the ability the Power Sound of the South has to fire up both a team and crowd, immensely enhancing the Wolfpack’s gameday atmosphere. 

Throughout its history, the marching band program has provided once-in-lifetime opportunities for students that have included, just last year, accompanying the NC State men’s and women’s basketball teams to the NCAA Final Four, traveling to other major athletic events and the chance to perform overseas. As the program looks back on its history, it’s this type of support from donors that will allow continued unique opportunities for future generations of students. 

“We’ve been very blessed as a program to do a lot of cool things with our students and give them a lot of amazing experiences,” Garcia said. “For some students, when they’ve traveled with us, we’ve taken them on a jet airplane for the first time, or we’ve left the country for the first time. For some students, it’s the first time leaving the state of North Carolina. So it’s really hard to quantify what it means to the students because it’s different for everybody. But a gift like this allows us to help them and give them great opportunities.” 

With this challenge gift being unlocked when the Music Enhancement Fund reaches 200 total gifts, its impact goes beyond just the marching band. 

A challenge gift encourages other supporters and community members to join the donation efforts and will allow DPAT to direct funds to help all of its ensembles in various ways. 

“When you get gifts like this, even though those funds are well needed and directed towards the marching band, it does incentivize folks to ask themselves what they can do,” Benkert said. “What’s great about a gift like that is they’re not saying you have to match the actual amount. You don’t have to be able to give as much as we’re giving, you just have to want to give. In a very meaningful way, it allows even the smallest gift to mean even more.”