Endicott music program receives 30 new drums

Endicott students bang away on their shiny new drums.

The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation donated 30 snare drums to the school. What’s worse than 18 kids with snare drums? Endicott-St. John Middle School band teacher Billy Ray says 18 kids with seven drums.

Ray’s fifth period percussion ensemble tore open the boxes of 30 new snare drums which the school received courtesy of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

“It’s just like Christmas,” exclaimed Tyler Anderson just before he and his classmates opened 20 boxes of drums.

The snare kits included stands, sticks, cases and marching harnesses.

Before receiving the new drums, the school had only seven drums, which left Ray having to rotate students into the percussion ensemble practice sessions.

Students had to sit still while waiting their turn.

Some even had to practice drumming on chairs and music stands in the band room.

“Imagine telling 10 kids that are here to play the drums to just sit and wait,” said Ray.

“Now we have enough that the kids can now check them out, take them home and practice.

Imagine that - practice.” Ray said having a full complement of drums will come in most useful early in the school year, when he teaches students the basics of drumming.

Ray last month learned the school had been awarded the drums through a grant from the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation was organized by Michael Kamen, who composed the music for the 1995 motion picture of the same name.

In the last 15 years, the foundation has donated more than 13,000 new and refurbished instruments to 1,058 school music programs.