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.
October Music Musings
Such a treat starting up the new church year, with bells of enthusiasm ringing from every direction! The Chalice Choir is off and singing with 24 registrants. The Music Committee has compiled a large list of concerts and music related gatherings, most of them noted on the church calendar. The decision to have a monthly “family-friendly” service opens the doors to more music for children’s programming. And the beat goes on for our monthly Song Circle on the second Friday evening of each month.
Our featured music event in October is a Sunday afternoon Drumming Workshop on the 13th, led by Sam Holmstock of Entrain. Sam is super-competent and LOTS of fun! Last year we were thrilled to be stacking up African and Afro-Cuban rhythms based on clever mnemonics. Bring your own drum, or Sam will have plenty to share. We are asking for a $10 donation. Registration is important because the workshop is limited to 22 drummers. Please contact me directly or call the church office to leave a message.
Thanks to a generous gift from the children of Genie Mullen, we now have funding for a choir accompanist this year for Sunday mornings. The Genie Mullen Fund is a memorial gift for Eugenia Ellis Morse Mullen, born 1924, died 2009. This year is the 100th anniversary of her birth. Genie was a well-known and active church musician during her lifetime, and this gift is fitting and much appreciated indeed! Kudos to Patricia Mullen, Laureen Gilbert, Gail Dugan, Joanne Cote, James Mullen, and John Mullen.
HAPPY FALL TO ALL!
Susan Hotchkiss, Music Director
Upcoming Music events
More about Music at UU Middleboro
The Music Committee
The Music Committee is a part of First UU Society of Middleboro, operating under its mission and focused on helping to support our church’s music ministry and music director. It is our intent to help enrich the goals of the Society, including spiritual and personal growth of congregants and outreach to the community at large. We strive to help build a program of inclusivity as well as excellence. We wish to promote diversity, creativity, fun, fellowship, and community through music.
(Statement of Purpose, revised May 2023)
Members of the Music Committee:
Dody Adkins-Perry
Katie Allen
Cindy Benard
Valerie Fontaine
Bet Giddings
Nicola Wilbar
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 UU hymnals and songbooks. Larger Caring Choirs participate in programs for nursing homes, shelters, and community events. December 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.
