By Ainsley Hall
MARTINSBURG — Martinsburg South Middle School’s band won the Upgrade Your Band Room Sweepstakes, put together by Music & Arts and the Pearl Drum Company.
Through this program, the band won $25,000 for equipment and instruments to create a better learning environment for students.
Band director Heather Nowell first heard about the sweepstakes after receiving an email from Music & Arts sharing information and inviting band directors to apply. Nowell thought it was worth a shot, filled out the information and thought nothing of it. However, soon after, she received a phone call from New York that said she won.
“I remember it was on Halloween I got a random phone call from a New York phone number,” Nowell said. “It said we won $25,000, and I thought, ‘This isn’t real, right?’ I called my friend and the school principal and even reached out to the local representative of Music & Arts and found out it was legit.”
After agreeing to accept the prize, the band received a list of items to choose from to help improve the quality of its equipment. Last November, the band started receiving some of the items and this week, got its last award.
“Some of the kids got to open some of the packages themselves,” Nowell said. “They got to open brand new equipment, which doesn’t happen very often in a school environment like this. It was like watching kids open presents on Christmas.”
Music & Arts also visited the school on Thursday to record the band and showcase the school to celebrate winning the sweepstakes. Representatives from the companies sponsoring the sweepstakes put together a special party to celebrate the students and their hard work.
“I enjoyed seeing the kids enjoy the new stuff and perform with joy and excitement,” Nowell said. “They also got to showcase their talent. Music & Arts and Pearl are worldwide companies, so through this, Martinsburg South Middle School is on the map all over the world.”
John Hanlin, local representative of Music & Arts, shared why he’s passionate about the program.
“We’re here to help kids find their voice in music,” Hanlin said. “We want them to learn and grow with that. It’s all about the kids.”
Nowell shared a special thank you to Hanlin, who was helpful as she went through the process and thanked the sponsors for the opportunity for the students to play on quality instruments.