A look inside last year’s Instrument Petting Zoo and Open House at the Northampton Community Music Center.
Photo credit: Northampton Community Music Center
NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Community Music Center’s Instrument Petting Zoo and Open House is returning for the third year of what has become a beloved community event connecting the city’s youth with instruments for the school year.
The annual event, which will take place on Aug. 25 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Northampton Community Music Center, is a celebration of the center and its offerings and is once again presented in collaboration with Northampton’s JFK Middle School.
Band Director and Music Teacher Shelby Serio has led the collaborative effort, inviting incoming middle school students to a firsthand look at potential instrument options as they gear up or consider joining band this fall. Students interested in woodwind or brass instruments can see NCMC faculty demonstrate the instruments before trying the strings and percussion instruments themselves. According to Serio, the exposure helps students choose their instruments of choice for their band and musical journeys.
Indë Francis, the web, media and marketing coordinator for MCMC, told Reminder Publishing that the event spawned from the collaboration between Serio and JFK Middle School to welcome interested students and their musical interests.
“The spirit of the Instrument Petting Zoo & Open House is welcome, bienvenido. When people come to the Northampton Community Music Center, they arrive full of curiosity, and it’s our mission as an organization to encourage that curiosity,” Francis said. “This event provides a warm welcome, where the open door to each teaching studio in our building will invite visitors into a new musical playground.”
Francis added that the event has helped with recruitment and retention of students in school bands because students more efficiently find what works best for them. The opportunity to meet and connect with NCMC’s teaching faculty allows students and their families to explore the building and try all kinds of instruments during the event.
“No matter the path they take, visitors will meet the friendly faces of NCMC’s teaching faculty and are sure to learn something new about music and about themselves. For example, I never knew how much I would love the upright bass until I began playing here at NCMC,” Francis said. “NCMC takes great pride in serving the musical needs of the community, and we are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Ms. Serio through this event. Not only does this collaboration introduce kids to NCMC as a place to play, but they get to experience the instruments of the band in a low-pressure environment.”
Coinciding with the instrument petting zoo is the center’s annual open house, which invites people of all ages to visit and learn more about the programs offered. Refreshments will be served, and NCMC faculty will be on hand, along with musical instruments of all varieties for participants to learn about.
“Last year, around 120 people of all ages came through the building during the two-hour open house, and we expect to attract a crowd of a similar size this year,” Francis added. “With the high stress of a new school year, middle school especially, this opportunity can make a big difference for these soon-to-be band musicians. Many of NCMC’s teaching faculty will be in the building to demonstrate the instruments they teach. So, the open house is also a chance for students to connect with teachers who can mentor them individually as they develop their musical interests.”
To learn more about the Northampton Community Music Center and more of its program offerings and events, visit ncmc.net.
