Music is a pillar of our community at UU Middleboro. We strive to build a musical community, whether that’s congregational or choral singing, sharing a musical offering, or participating in a musical workshop or activity. We invite our members to explore a variety of musical styles, to focus on excellence rather than perfection, to support Sunday Morning worship, and to carry our ministry out into the world. For more information, please contact Susan Hotchkiss at music@uumiddleboro.org.
Drumming Workshop with Sam Holmstock
September Music Musings
There’s excitement in the air as we start the whirling and twirling of a new church year! The Chalice Choir has already started rehearsals (August 29), the Music Committee is cranking into full gear (September 6), new music has been ordered, and plans are well underway for a great year ahead, full of variety and opportunity to make music together. This is good!
For the church and larger community, we are offering a special one-hour drumming workshop on Sunday, October 1 at 3:00 p.m. The facilitator/teacher is Sam Holmstock who is well known through Cape Cod drum circles as well as through his work with Drum Strategies for Healing. Sam teaches a hybrid technique that combines African and AfroCuban styles. You do not need to bring your own drum, but you will need to register because the class size will be limited.
We are also planning a grand fall concert on Sunday, November 19, at 3:00 p.m. This concert is in honor of Avis Clay and her family’s generous memorial gift to renovate the Parlor and provide an endowment fund for UU Middleboro music. We are VERY appreciative of this gift.
Reminders:
- The Music Committee meets by ZOOM the second Wednesday of each month.
- The Song Circle meets in the Parish Hall the second Friday of each month.
Sing soon, sing often, just sing!
Susan Hotchkiss, Director of Music
Upcoming Music events
More about Music at UU Middleboro
Our Music Makers: Singers and Instrumentalists
The Chalice Choir is open to all and sings every other Sunday, making room for other solos and ensembles to share their musical offerings on alternate Sundays. Tuesday evenings are set aside for choir rehearsal from 7:00-8:30. Sunday morning is set aside for musicians to prepare for worship.
As needed, we form Caring Choirs to visit members and friends who are shut in and would like to hear or sing music from our two hymnals, Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey. Larger Caring Choirs participate in programs for nursing homes, shelters, and community events. Caroling is always a popular activity.
We support music in children’s Religious Education by sending choir members into Sunday morning classes and creating a Family Choir for special services during the year.
We have many fine instrumentalists in our congregation who share their gifts in worship as well as for fundraising activities. Instruments include guitar, ukulele, mandolin, flute, recorder, crumhorn, trumpet, percussion, double bass, and hammered dulcimer. We are open to more!
Our Instruments
Installed in the chancel, we have an historic Woodberry & Harris tracker organ, circa 1890. The original manual pump was replaced with a motor when Middleboro Main Street was wired for electricity. There are two manuals (Swell and Great) plus a 27-note pedal board, and the mechanism is fully mechanical. The organ was most recently refurbished by Andover Organ Company in 2014 and is listed in the Organ Historical Society Database.
In the spring of 2019, the church purchased a new Mason & Hamlin baby grand piano. This piano was hand-made in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and produces state-of-the-art depth and quality of sound.
