Friday, September 30, 2016

Parents who care and band rental season

SHERYL DEALT WITH crabby band parents this morning. They complained about the price of the book ($10). They complained about their kid not sticking with the instrument. They complained about the school music program, the cork in the mouthpiece, life itself.

Sheryl just smiled. We understand. It has nothing to do with being rich or poor. It's all about wanting your child to succeed.

Sheryl left to vote early. As soon as she walked out, three parents came in asking about band rentals. They were patient and put up with my bumbling. One mother decided to rent a clarinet, and Sheryl was surprised that I had her fill out the paperwork correctly and had done almost everything right. Almost everything. Nothing she couldn't fix.

The other two parents asked about instruments and said they'd be back. They grasp the value of renting a brand new instrument and owning it after two years, and having a maintenance agreement to address any issues.

Boyd Music of Jacksonville has been fantastic, and we are doing a lot of rentals. It's a challenging time. But we love seeing parents and their children get involved in music. You have to give them a chance and let music take them to new and exciting places.

Maybe they will play it for a few months and decide it isn't for them. Maybe they will play through school. Maybe they will pursue a college degree and masters in music and end up teaching at a four-year university. Who knows? It can and does happen.

They will be better off for the experience. That much we do know, and we support parents who support their children.

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