Windham Middle School music program brings back mattress fundraiser

By Masha Yurkevich

The music program at the Windham Middle School (WMS) is once again turning an everyday household purchase into an opportunity for students to perform, learn, and compete at an annual music festival. The school band and orchestra program will hold its annual Mattress Fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18 in the Windham Middle School gym.

Windham Middle School's band and orchestra program will
hold its annual Mattress Fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
on Sunday, Oct. 18 in the school gym to help send WMS
student musicians to attend the Trills and Thrills Music
Festival in New Hampshire next spring.
COURTESY IMAGE   

The one-day fundraiser helps raise money to send WMS musicians to the Trills and Thrills Music Festival in Salem, New Hampshire, on the first Thursday in June at no cost to participating students.

Morgan Riley, band and orchestra teacher at Windham Middle School, started the fundraiser four years ago after the COVID-19 pandemic had significantly affected the music program at the school.

“We were recovering from the pandemic decimating our music program,” Riley said.

Once the program had enough students to attend a music festival again, Riley was approached by Custom Fundraising Solutions Maine about holding a mattress fundraiser. With the trip costing approximately $120 to $140 per student, Riley wanted to find a way to avoid placing another financial burden on families.

“For that reason, I agreed to try the Mattress Fundraiser,” Riley said.

Since then, the fundraiser has become a consistent source of financial support for the music program.

According to Riley, it has earned more than $5,000 for the music trip each year and has helped students attend the Trills and Thrills Music Festival for free in recent years. Riley said the fundraiser works well because it is held in a single day and provides a product that eventually needs to be replaced by nearly every household.

“Everyone sleeps on a mattress, and every year a different set of community members need to replace their mattresses,” Riley said.

The WMS gym will be transformed into a full mattress showroom during the fundraiser. Shoppers will be able to try different makes, models and sizes, including name brands such as Purple, Helix, Therapedic, and Beautyrest. After a purchase is made, the mattress can be delivered directly to the home of the customer. Customers can also request to have their old mattress removed.

At the festival, WMS seventh and eighth grade band and orchestra students perform for judges, who are often college music professors or retired band and orchestra teachers. Students receive specific feedback on their performances and receive a rating of “Good,” “Excellent” or “Superior.” Windham students have earned the highest rating, “Superior,” in two of the past three years.

The festival also gives students the chance to watch other student groups perform before spending the remainder of the day at Canobie Lake Park. Riley said the experience gives students an opportunity to prepare and perform for professionals while receiving feedback they can use to improve their musical skills.

The Trills and Thrills festival also provides a team-building experience for the students, Riley said.

The program is already preparing for its next festival. Students are currently working on musical fundamentals and have begun preparing pieces for their winter program. In January, they will begin working on pieces for the festival and spring concerts.

This year, the Windham High School band and orchestra will also attend the festival for the first time, expanding the experience beyond the middle school program. 

Students and their parents also help promote the fundraiser through word of mouth, texts, emails and social media. Students participate on the day of the sale as well, helping to attract attention to the event from the street. Riley encourages community members to support the fundraiser even if they do not have a child in the music program.

“Supporting the music program takes our full community and we are so thankful,” Riley said.

For Riley, the value of the festival extends beyond the ratings students receive. During the festival last year, both the band and orchestra received 'Excellent' ratings. Although students were disappointed after earning 'Superior' ratings during the previous two years, Riley said the experience provided an opportunity to listen to the judge’s comments, learn from them and use that feedback to improve.

More information about the Mattress Fundraiser is available through the Windham High School/Middle School Music Mattress Sale Fundraiser event on Facebook. <