Millennium High School’s growing marching band does not have enough usable baritones for its students, prompting the president of its booster club to ask Agua Fria Union High School District officials for assistance.
Bryan Murphy, president of the Millennium High School Band Boosters Club, told the governing board Aug. 12 that the band expects to grow from 98 marching students last year to more than 120 this year.
The program currently has 13 students assigned to play baritone but does not have enough functioning instruments for all of them, Murphy said.
Zip ties, tape and string
He showed the board an instrument repaired with makeshift materials, including zip ties, tape and string.
“We’re scrounging for good instruments to ensure that multiple freshman students have a quality experience and find the joy of creating music,” Murphy said.
The school has allocated approximately $3,000 for instrument repairs, while the booster club spends more than $100,000 annually supporting the band program.
The boosters recently announced the purchase of a $5,000 marimba funded through a donation from a longtime instructor. The organization is also preparing to spend more than $4,000 on mouthpieces for trumpets, baritones, tubas and other brass instruments.
Murphy urged the district to act quickly because competitive bands are selling used instruments after the end of the national marching season. He said used baritones are available for approximately $1,700, compared with about $2,500 for new instruments, and could remain in service for more than 10 years.
“Time is of the essence,” Murphy said. “These instruments will last well over 10 years—a solid investment in education and the program.”
Millennium is scheduled to host the Arizona Marching Band Association state championships for the 2A and 5A divisions this season. Murphy said the event will bring students, directors and families from across Arizona to the campus.
Because Murphy spoke during public comment, board members could not discuss or act on his request during the meeting. Vice President Vickie Landis directed Superintendent Mark Yslas to have a staff member follow up with him.
Updated 8/17 to correct spelling
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Meet Stacy Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.
Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.
Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!
Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.
Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here