TAUNTON - Superintendent John J. Cabral and Performing Arts Coordinator Corey Beltram are pleased to share that thanks to a generous donation from the City of Taunton, the District was able to purchase 78 instruments, the majority of which will be for middle school bands.
The $100,000 from the City will provide school-owned instruments for beginner musicians in the Parker, Martin and Friedman Middle School concert bands, thus eliminating the cost to families to rent equipment.
“The cost of renting an instrument should not be a barrier to learning and experiencing music,” said Superintendent Cabral. “We are grateful to the City for being such a supportive partner in our goal of increasing performing arts participation.”
“The generous donation from the City of Taunton not only provides the gift of music to our students but also demonstrates the invaluable support and commitment of our community towards enriching the educational experience of our young musicians," said School Committee Chair Dr. Gregory DeMelo.
The new equipment includes flutes, clarinets, bass clarinets, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, a marching sousaphone, marching snare drums and beginner percussion kits. The Performing Arts Department was also able to use the funds to purchase digital pianos that will be shared by the jazz band, chorus and drama club for the pit orchestra.
"As a mom, I know the importance of introducing our kids to the arts and music. With the City's donation,we increase students' access to participate and enrich their learning experience,” said Mayor Shaunna O’Connell. “Visiting the music class and seeing how happy they were to be there and perform was priceless. We extend our sincere appreciation to our partners at TPS and eagerly anticipate the growth of the music program."
All of the instruments will be available to borrow for students in grades 5-12 who are in one of the performing ensembles. Many instruments are already in the students’ hands.
The middle school bands performed their year-end concerts the week of June 2. The performances are available to watch on the Taunton Educational Network youtube channel (youtube.com/c/thstvstudio).
Learn more about the district’s bands at tauntonbands.com
