The Bethel-Tate High School drumline received new drums and accessories, thanks to a government stimulus program and the help of the school and local community. Pictured is the Bethel-Tate High School drumline from left to right: Jordan Stropes, Sam Hall, Caleb Locke, Trace Gearig, Madi Simmons, Ethan Wood, who showed off the new drums with performances at the High School on Aug. 12, 2021.
Pictured on the far left is Paul Glader, music teacher at the Middle School, who applied for the stimulus program, speaking to the audience prior to the performances on Aug. 12, 2021.
The Bethel-Tate High School drumline sounds better than ever, thanks to a set of snazzy new equipment courtesy of a government stimulus program and the help of the local community.
On Aug. 12, Paul Glader, middle school music teacher, and Samuel Blair, high school music teacher, hosted a drumline dedication ceremony to show off the drums.
Conn-Selmer, Inc., an instrument company, is giving away millions of dollars in stimulus aid to schools interested in purchasing tubas, marching brass, marching percussion, French horns, baritones, sousaphones, harmonicas and education percussion instruments, all American-based.
“We are excited to shine a light on the importance of American hand-made craftsmanship while also encouraging economic growth right here in the USA,” the company said.
The instruments then go through a participating dealer, which in this case was Willis Music Company in Eastgate.
Glader said the old drums were mismatched, falling apart and did not have quality sound — some of the equipment even dates back to the 1970s — but they didn’t have the funds to purchase new drums.
For example of where the equipment situation was, Glader said the tenor drums were being held up by two chairs and base drums would be on luggage stands.
When Glader and Blair took stock of the drumline equipment, Glader said they felt bad for the students who had to set down the drums next to a bunch of other schools’ drums at a band festival in Jackson, Ohio.
“Most of the other schools had uniform equipment with school branding on the base drums,” he said, with Bethel-Tate’s having mismatching, hodgepodge equipment. “We have first-rate students at Bethel-Tate and the equipment was not living up to the students’ needs.”
And it’s not just an aesthetic issue; poor, old quality drums aren’t going to sound as good.
Back in June 2020, Glader saw the advertisement from Conn-Selmer while scrolling Facebook. He emailed them and then completed a worksheet detailing the school’s needs.
Glader said he “went a little wild at first” putting down tubas, bass clarinets, saxophones, trumpets and drums, of course. The total would have been $50,000 worth of equipment, so Glader scaled back the request to just drums.
The drum equipment Conn-Selmer came back with had a value of $20,000, but through the deal-making with Willis, the school got it for under $8,000.
Without Conn-Selmer’s stimulus program, Glader said it would have taken years of fundraising to purchase new equipment.
Even with that program, it still took further school and community involvement to cover the $8,000, including from George Sturgeon, principal at the High School, band parents, Willis Music and Blair’s own family, the Bethel-Tate Music Association, the Bethel-Tate Teachers Association, and Tom McOwen and Jennifer Danforth. A number of local businesses also stepped up, including Faith Chapel Fitness, Bates HVAC and Legen-Dairy.
The new drumline includes three snare drums, two sets of tenor drums and four bass drums, with four new harnesses used to carry them around.
Thanks to the efforts of the school and community, Glader said they were able to also get accessories that go with a drumline, including drum mallets, sticks, stick bags, custom branding, rim guards and more.
Glader said the community was really generous and the new drums support their needs now and allow for room to grow.
“They sound amazing. These are drums worthy of the students that we have here at Bethel-Tate. A drum that sounds good is great, but they need quality players to also sound good,” he said.
At football games and festivals now, Glader said they can “roll in with absolute pride.”
New drums is also about more than aesthetics and pride; it’s about the fundamentals of music education.
Glader said adolescence is a time of “self-discovery” and the music program at Bethel offers a creative outlet to foster growth through the learning of an instrument, singing in a choir and gaining an appreciation for the language and heritage of music.
“I believe we have a meaningful music education program for the students of Bethel-Tate because it allows each student to explore their musical talents all while also building important character traits (such as self-confidence and work ethic) that will help them be prepared and successful in life, whether their journey has a musical focus or not,” he said.
Schools interested in participating and for eligibility requirements can contact an authorized Conn-Selmer dealer or email education@conn-selmer.com.