Fall 2023
Dear Bedford families,
As the school year gets into full swing, music students are hard at work. The marching band practices their shows in anticipation of football games and competitions. Our youngest student musicians are just starting to learn how to hold and care for their instruments, as they grow from tentative beginners into confident performers. The large and small ensembles at JGMS and BHS are working hard, with an exciting year of rehearsals and performances to look forward to.
Bedford Patrons of Music Students (POMS) exists to support our music department faculty and students at all four public schools. Through fundraising at Bedford Day, the Snack Shack at BHS home football games, and the JGMS and BHS spring musicals, we provide grants and other financial support for curricular and extracurricular needs.
Our largest annual fundraiser, however, is our Annual Appeal, which you’re reading now. Donations to our Annual Appeal help POMS offer tangible resources, including:
- Stipends for every music teacher in the district to support classroom activities;
- Wish-list items requested by the music teachers to enhance their curricula;
- Affordable and easily accessible private music lessons for students from K–12;
- Supplemental funding for costumes and other costs for extracurricular musical activities, including the JGMS and BHS musicals; and
- Scholarships for BHS graduating seniors.
This year POMS continues its focus on financial aid, to ensure that every child who wants to explore music can do so without money posing a barrier to study and performance. With your help and donations, we can provide financial aid for private lessons, as well as instrument rentals during the school year so students can participate in grade-level ensembles.
Your support of POMS has a direct impact on music education in Bedford. Will you continue Bedford’s tradition of strong community funding for student music by contributing to this year’s Annual Appeal?
POMS is a 501(c)(3) organization, and your donation may be tax-deductible. Thank you for joining in POMS’s legacy of support by participating in our 2023 Annual Appeal.
With best musical wishes,
Christine Anderson, POMS President
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Please donate online or mail contributions to POMS, ℅ Bedford High School, 9 Mudge Way, Bedford, MA 01730. We appreciate online giving, to ensure your donations can get to work as soon as possible.
Download the POMS 2023 Annual Appeal here, if you prefer to mail in a hard copy.