On Friday, November 9, the Playathon was the place to be in Sacramento.  Fun games, food, drinks, and most importantly live music were set up around the campus. Throughout the entire night, students trickled in and out of the band concerts.  But everyone came back in the late night for the dance.
“The Playathon is always fun, everyone enjoyed themselves,” band teacher Joshua Murray said.  “The money will go to keeping the program going, with instrument repairs, sheet music, travel and entry fees to competitions.”
“We made just over $15,000 in pledges,” junior Emily Chernich said.  “We did really well this year.”
Chernich raised the most money at previous band fundraiser, the screening of Star Wars at IMAX, and as a prize she received the original trilogy on Blu-Ray. The Star Wars screening was in keeping with the Outer Space and science fiction theme.
The annual band playathon had a tremendous turn out. Band students got the opportunity to perform in front of their peers and parents, all the while raising money for the program.
Regardless of age or talent, students were surrounded by friends, sharing stories, and listening to great music. Band members enjoyed full access to great food throughout the entire night.  Local elementary schools and middle schools were invited to play along with the prestigious Raider Band Program, and the kids performed excellently.
“The carnival was a blast, it was awesome to see everyone enjoying it so much,” said senior Alex Remiticado.
“It was also fun playing a drum solo in almost every song I played on, it sounded like people liked them.”
If you missed out on the Playathon experience, it is still not too late to support Rio’s decorated band program. Make checks payable to the Rio Americano Band Boosters (RABB) and come to concerts.