The Ouibache Music Festival presented its Legacy Award to Wea Ridge Middle School band teacher Ryan Burnette. The $1,000 gift will be used to address needs in his growing music program.

“In the spring of 2015, we had a total of 197 students participating in band at Wea Ridge Middle. As of this year, that number has grown to 307,” says Burnett. “With this growth, we have found it difficult to have enough tubas to provide for students in our band program. Because we have received this grant, we will now have enough tubas for each of the tuba players at our school. We are very excited to be able to use this grant to attend to the needs of our band students. This will allow us to continue to bring more students into the band program and have enough tubas for a program of our size.”

The Ouibache Music Festival is an Americana-roots event dedicated to preserving the virtues and values of traditional American music.

“Our organization is proud to be able to do our part to help the music program at Wea Ridge Middle School,” says President/CEO of the Ouibache Music Festival Inc. Scott Freeman. “We want to recognize Burnette’s commitment to excellence and his dedication to making sure the next generation gets all the tools they need to succeed.”