Welcome back to another year at MSS! If you are interested in joining band or chorus for the 25-26 school year, please read below for information about each group and how to sign up. Important dates will be updated as they come in. Looking forward to making music with your students this year!
MSS Concert Band and Chorus Winter Concert: Monday, 12/15 at 6:30 in the HMHS Auditorium
MSS Beginning Band, Concert Band, and Chorus Spring Concert: Wednesday, 5/6 at 6:30 in the HMHS Auditorium
Celebration of the Arts: Wednesday, May 20th at the Town Library
Hopkinton Music District Festival (for students in concert band and 5th/6th graders in chorus only): *Tentatively* Friday, April 24th
Fisher Cats Performance for Chorus: Get tickets here:
In Hopkinton, band starts in fourth grade. Students have the option of playing flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, or percussion (xylophone to start and snare drum starting in January). Band students participate in a weekly group lesson and an all-band ensemble rehearsal during the school day. At Maple Street, we have two band ensembles: Beginning Band for students who are just starting an instrument, and Concert Band for students who are in year 2+ on their instrument.
There are a few options to acquire an instrument:
MSS owns a collection of older, used instruments that can be rented to students for a one-time payment of $75. The goal with renting from MSS is to provide your student a school-owned instrument at an affordable price so they can "try it out" with rental fee going directly towards supporting your student on their instrument and enhancing the MSS Music Program. The MSS rental fee is less than half of what most instrument rental companies charges to rent for the whole school year, and is nonrefundable, regardless of whether or not your student continues to play for the whole school year.
After paying the rental fee, your student can decide to switch to another MSS instrument at no extra cost. Your student’s instrument will not be new, but will be fully functional and has personally been inspected, played, and cleaned by either myself or Ellis Music.
If you rent from MSS, your student will be provided free basic instrument supplies for the year, a MSS Music Shirt, and the lesson book “Essential Elements Book 1” for their respective instrument. Families are asked to cover any repairs that result from neglect or outright misuse of the school instrument, but all other repairs are covered by the rental fee. This program is geared towards first-year band students, so any instruments rented from MSS will need to be returned in early June. Students who wish to continue into year two are encouraged to rent from Ellis Music or purchase their own instrument.
Renting from MSS is a first-come, first-serve basis. It's worth noting that MSS-owned instruments are only available to students while they are at MSS, while instruments rented from Ellis Music stay with your student into the middle/high school and beyond.
We partner with Ellis Music to provide instrument rentals and musical supplies to our district music program. They visit MSS every Tuesday. If you rent from Ellis Music, your monthly rental fee goes towards paying off and eventually owning the instrument. Payments to Ellis are made monthly (usually $30-40) rather than all at once. Ellis will provide a music book, basic supplies, and free repairs. Students can purchase a MSS Music shirt from the school.
Their rental information is available online through their website. Renting an instrument is a rent-to-own contract that families make with Ellis Music, and does not involve myself, MSS, or the Hopkinton School District.
Click here for information about the instruments
Click here for Ellis Music Rental information
Click here for Instrument demonstrations
You are, of course, free to provide your own instrument. Used instruments can be a great value, but please be mindful that used instruments often need repairs that can cost more that the value of the instrument.
Ellis Music and Music and Arts in Manchester can provide both repair quotes and work. Please avoid buying instruments from certain jungle-themed online retailers. I know from experience that both Music and Arts and Ellis Music refuse to repair most non-name brand instruments. If in doubt, please email me.
Selecting the right instrument makes all the difference for a student's success in band, especially in their first year. Every instrument presents its own unique challenges, and some students are better suited to certain instruments over others. It's common for students to switch instruments during their first year. Students are allowed to switch instruments if their first choice isn't working out, whether you are renting from Ellis or MSS.
These are great supplies to buy that will really help your student with band this year:
Music stand: This will make practicing way easier for your student, trust me. Buy one of the cheaper fold-up ones from Ellis or Amazon and have your student just leave it assembled in a "practice space" in your home. Anything that can be done to make playing their instrument as easy and comfortable as possible = more practice, success, and your student feeling more accomplished on their instrument.
Reeds: If your student plays sax or clarinet, their reeds will wear out and break - expect to go through a lot of them. Extra reeds to the rescue! I recommend the brand Rico in strength 2.5.
Cleaning kit: Self explanatory! Keep their instrument looking shiny and clean. I will teach your student how to maintain their instrument.
MSS also encourages students in grades 4-6 to participate in MSS Chorus! Chorus meets weekly as an ensemble and performs in the same concerts as the bands. Students can participate in both band and chorus at MSS.
*This past year we sang the National Anthem at a Fisher Cats game. Planning to do it again!
If your student is interested in joining band and/or chorus this year, please fill out and submit the google form below:
I sincerely hope you and your student will consider joining the MSS Band and Chorus this year! If you have any questions about music at MSS, please reach out to me at blevergood@sau66.org.
Wishing you a wonderful year,
Ben Levergood
Click below for your student's weekly band assignment. This is what they should be practicing at home.
Click here for weekly MSS Band Assignments
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cj3nZUbHnQEYymHgOIH4U0qR9_xs2JoYDN-cpFdiYmA/edit?usp=sharing