The TCCA was nominated for the award by the
Payson Unified School District.
In making the nomination, the PUSD wrote:
“Tonto Community Concert Association’s mission
is to bring quality entertainment to the Rim
Country through an annual concert series and
support of the fine arts in Payson schools.”
Through an annual subscription series of eight
concerts per year, TCCA, an all-volunteer
organization, has brought professional and
diverse musical performances to the Payson
community for 32 years.
“Tonto Community Concert Association merits a
Governor’s Arts Award for fulfilling the part of
its mission that says, ‘support of the fine arts
in Payson schools.’
“When TCCA books its concerts, it looks for
groups that will appeal to young people as well
as to its subscribers. It then contracts, at
added expense, with those groups to do an
“outreach program” for students during the day
of the concert. In the 2010-2011 season, five of
the eight concerts offered outreach programs.
“Students are bused from their schools to the
Payson High School auditorium … TCCA board
members discuss concert etiquette with the
students. The performing artists do a
mini-concert with plenty of time for Q&A and
student participation, some even ‘live’
on-stage. The concert is both entertaining and
educational.
“From a handful of students
attending outreach concerts
in 1993 in the band room,
outreach concerts now serve
500-600 students per concert
...
“Concerts put classroom
musical learning into a
frame of reference for
students. Exposure to
professional musical
performance adds to student
understanding of vocal and
instrumental styles ...
“In addition, TCCA has
generously donated to Payson
Schools for improvements to
the Payson High School
auditorium …”
Former State Senator Carolyn
Allen and Valley attorney
Bill Sheppard received the
sixth annual Shelley Arts
Advocate Award.
Nearly 80 individuals,
artists, businesses, arts
education programs and
community programs from 22
communities around the state
were nominated for 2011
Governor’s Arts Awards.
We wish to thank the Payson
Roundup Newspaper for giving
us permission to post this
article on our website as it
originally appeared in their
newspaper on Tuesday, April
19, 2011.
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