For decades, it has been tradition in Hingham to honor varsity athletes during playoff season by putting their last names on telephone poles on Main Street. If you drive down Main Street today, you will see the names of players on the boys and girls basketball, hockey, crew, and swim teams. In an effort to promote the arts in Hingham, the Hingham Music Parents Association (HMPA), a parent volunteer booster organization that supports and enriches the experience of all music students in the Hingham Public Schools, recently undertook a new initiative to include all 142 high school student musician names on the telephone poles too. The timing of this aligns with the three All-Town concerts that recently took place this month.
The music programs at HHS are thriving, despite often not typically receiving the same amount of recognition as our also-thriving sports teams. The chorus, orchestra, and band programs each put on three concerts every year, which consistently draw large crowds. The highlight concert for all three programs is their respective “All-Town” concert, in which students from 5th grade all the way through high school play in the same concert, allowing the students and their parents to see the progression of musicality, technique, and performance quality as students move through the curriculum. These concerts also serve to motivate younger music students to continue their musical pursuits through high school.
But what was the impetus this year for the telephone pole addition for all our high school musicians? Grade 7-12 Band Teacher, Brian Cincotta, was one of the main voices behind the initiative. He shared that “In a society that traditionally elevates academic and athletic accomplishments, I think it’s tremendously important to shift some of that energy towards the efforts our students expend on artistic pursuits. Our proud community of student-musicians is among the largest “teams” in town, and public recognition like this shifts the perception away from the notion that participation in a group like this is somehow “fringe” or less significant than any other student interest. We are a mighty force for creativity, self-expression and sharing a collective, deeply human experience, and seeing our names displayed in this way serves as a reminder that what we do truly matters.”
Many students share a similar feeling that the music program deserves recognition in the same way that sports teams do. For senior clarinet player Grace Owen, the signs provide her with an opportunity she never thought she would have. “I don’t play a sport and as a senior, I never thought I’d be able to have the experience of seeing my name on Main Street. So this is something special for me.” When asked about the importance of continuing this tradition, Owen added, “ I think more of a community awareness about the program is important. I think the school should consider promoting the music program even more as they do with sports.”
Another student, senior and french horn player Matt Rulli, also stressed the importance of increasing the community’s awareness of Hingham’s music programs. “I think we should capitalize on all the opportunities we get,” said Rulli. “We should make music out in public. I think it’s all about getting noticed.”
So far, the reception of the signs has been nothing but positive, so it’s more than likely that this will be a tradition for years to come!
