{"id":15393,"date":"2025-12-04T01:06:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T08:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/stillwater-music-celebrates-20th-anniversary\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:47:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:47:49","slug":"stillwater-music-celebrates-20th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/stillwater-music-celebrates-20th-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Stillwater Music celebrates 20th anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Zach
Zach Harrison, then 7, son of Rachel and Jay Harrison, in 2021. Zach is one of the many youths who have taken music lessons at Stillwater Music. (Durango Herald file)<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Durango music education organization Stillwater Music is celebrating two decades of bringing music education to the region this month \u2013 and the nonprofit has launched a matching funds campaign to support its future.<\/p>\n

Stillwater Music \u2013 which offers music education through group classes, ensembles, private lessons, inclusive programs and school-based partnerships \u2013 is \u201cdedicated to creating accessible, inclusive and high-quality music education for people of all ages and abilities in Southwest Colorado,\u201d a release by the organization said. About 1,500 students are served annually at 23 locations in and around Durango, including from the Stillwater Music building at 1316 Main Ave., the release said.<\/p>\n

The organization, which joined forces<\/a> with Bayfield\u2019s Be Frank Foundation in July, was recognized as Nonprofit of the Year by the Durango Chamber of Commerce at last year\u2019s Durango Rocks awards ceremony.<\/p>\n

Executive Director Jana Leslie attributes Stillwater\u2019s longevity to the organization\u2019s affinity for growth and adaptability; its intention of creating a space where music belongs to everyone \u2013 not just advanced or naturally talented musicians; and, most importantly, its ability to bring happiness to students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heartbeat has always been joy,\u201d she said. \u201cYou walk into Stillwater and you hear laughter, songs in progress and people trying things they\u2019ve never done before. That energy keeps this place alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the 20-year celebration, the nonprofit launched a $100,000 end-of-year matching gift campaign created by Stillwater\u2019s founders. The matching fund will double every donation made through the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Donations will be put toward band and orchestra programs, scholarships, in-school programs and inclusive music programs, according to the organization\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Leslie said the matching campaign is about more than doubling dollars \u2013 it will increase access to need-based scholarships, quality instruments, trained teachers and safe spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatching campaigns are powerful because they turn individual generosity into something exponential,\u201d she said. \u201cOne person says, \u2018I believe in this,\u2019 and suddenly two, five, 10 others realize their gift matters more right now than ever. \u2026 A match allows us to say \u2018Yes\u2019 when a family needs help, \u2018Yes\u2019 when a student wants to stay, \u2018Yes\u2019 when a new program is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

To learn more about Stillwater Music and the organization\u2019s end-of-year matching gift campaign, visit www.stillwatermusic.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The 20-year milestone isn\u2019t just about celebrating the organization\u2019s past, Leslie said, but also about working to build its future and continue bringing music education and valuable experiences to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty years is a milestone \u2013 but what excites me most is what\u2019s ahead,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want the community to know, when they think about Stillwater that it\u2019s not just music \u2013 it\u2019s confidence, it\u2019s belonging, it\u2019s a lifelong relationship with creativity. It\u2019s learning what can result in our lives through perseverance. That\u2019s the true impact we\u2019re making in our beautiful little corner of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

epond@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Milestone is a chance to look at both the past and future of the nonprofit, executive director says<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,559,1269,994],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-music","tag-nonprofits","tag-trueanthem"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15393"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19634,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15393\/revisions\/19634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15393"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}