Published 3:48 pm Wednesday, August 13, 2025
By Noemi Arellano-Summer
Cale Culbertson started taking drum lessons at Bend’s Cascade School of Music at age six. He kept it up through high school graduation, with the help of scholarships from the school and the Every Kid fund from Deschutes Children’s Foundation.
Teacher Meshem Jackson remembers meeting Culbertson, now 18, for his first lesson in a small room crammed with a couple drum sets, ready to learn something new. Jackson has been a drum teacher with the school since 2011, and is the chair of the drum department.
“That was really a day of just exploring, sitting at the kit for the first time, the drum set, and just listening to all the sounds of all the different percussion instruments,” he said. “(Cale hit the crash cymbal) and then that moment was that excitement on his face of doing that and making that amazing sound, which was such a great moment to capture.”
Jackson, 53, felt he established a trusting relationship with Culbertson over time. At their lessons, the young Culbertson would share skating tricks he was trying, and approached both skating and drumming in the same way: excited to try new challenges and determined to improve.
“He does it and does it over and over and over and over again until he does it perfect. That’s how he approached our lessons and learning new songs,” said Jackson. “I expect him to be back for more.”
The Cascade School of Music scholarship program is donor-funded and serves over 100 children a year to make music education accessible to everyone.
Cale Culbertson, age 6, plays drums during his first lesson at Cascade School of Music. (Submitted/Sara Culbertson)
Deschutes Children’s Foundation, which provides space and support for nonprofits that help children and families, manages the Every Kid fund scholarship, which Culbertson was granted in order to continue to play drums during the pandemic.
The Every Kid fund is intended for kids whose parents are employed but may need some extra help, to ensure children get the opportunity to be in extracurricular activities they might not otherwise have. Funding can be given over several years, allowing kids to continue to have these experiences.
Executive director Cassi MacQueen said, “We take these applications from local nonprofits, where they’re able to say that they’re bringing kids in, whether it’s for music lessons or whether it’s for afternoons at the Boys and Girls Club or for Camp Fire summer camp and provide low barrier or no cost to these families.”
MacQueen is adamant about continuing to give kids experiences like music and horseback riding lessons. Though federal funding isn’t a major income stream for the foundation, she’s aware that nonprofits are facing cuts.
“Anybody can walk into our campuses and get support and get services,” she said.
Sara Culbertson, Cale’s mother, said Cale was interested in taking lessons and she felt drums fit his personality. The scholarships were very helpful for them, especially during the pandemic when money was tight, she said. She thought Cale might have to pause his lessons, but the scholarship from the Every Kid fund meant that he could continue.
“Cale got to continue, and it was amazing, because it means so much to him to be with his music teacher. Meshem’s a wonderful mentor to Cale. He’s always lifted up his self-esteem and his spirits,” she said.
Cale also played in a drumline with Jackson for a few years, Sara Culbertson said. She’s glad he’s been exposed to many different styles of drumming.
Cale graduated from Mountain View High in June, and is planning to take a gap year and continue working at Bangers and Brews, where he’s worked his way from dishwasher to prep cook over four years. He’s interested in either starting a business or working in the music industry.
“And he’ll always have his drums and get to play whenever he wants,” she said.
Noemi Arellano-Summer is schools, youth and families reporter at the Bulletin. She previously reported on homelessness and the 2020 eviction moratorium with the Howard Center of Investigative Journalism through Boston University. She was raised in Long Beach, California, where she started her journalism career reporting for her high school newspaper. In her free time, she can be found meandering through a bookstore or writing short stories.
She can be reached at noemi.arellano-summer@bendbulletin.com and 541-383-0325.
