Lowell Mason House Music Center

Also from Rick Abecunas –

The Lowell Mason House Music Center

The Mission: The Mission of the Lowell Mason House Music Center is to preserve, restore, and promote Lowell Mason’s birthplace as a significant historical and educational resource.

The Purpose: The Lowell Mason House will be a major cultural hub. It will serve as a museum honoring Lowell Mason, while advocating for the importance of music education, and offer a diverse selection of music instruction and performance in facilities that encourage artistic expression and strengthen the value of the arts in the community.

Lowell Mason: Lowell Mason is credited as the Father of Music Education in America’s schools through his successful effort to get music instruction added to the regular curriculum of the Boston schools in 1838. He was its first Superintendent of Music and a champion of teacher training. If it were not for Lowell Mason, we would not have music in our schools as we know it today. A prodigious composer, his published works of 1,600 hymns and tunes includes many still sung today, including “Mary Had a Little Lamb” “Nearer, My God, To Thee” and “Joy to the World.”

The House: Lowell Mason’s home in Medfield, Massachusetts is a significant 18th century landmark containing examples of early American architecture and workmanship. As such, the house combines important architectural, historical, and social features. Testing has found that two reused beams in the attic date to 1650 and 1651. These timbers are considered some of the earliest existing examples in the United States.

The Center: The Center’s vision calls for building up-to-date rehearsal and performance space which will include music technology and recording facilities, able to support a diverse mix of musical traditions. Additionally, we will partner with local arts organizations by providing office and meeting space to support their advocacy of arts and arts education in our schools. Finally, we intend to create a Lowell Mason museum, showcasing our growing collection of papers, images and Lowell Mason possessions, many of which have been digitized for the public good by Digital Commonwealth.

There will be something for all ages at the Center. From early childhood music programs to youth and adult lessons in instrumental music, voice, and composition. Within 15 miles of the Center are 30 communities, including the underserved populations of Framingham, Bellingham, Stoughton and Milford. The arts are important to the health and well-being of a community; consequently, it is important to the mission of the Lowell Mason House to encourage artistic
expression and strengthen the value of arts and creativity in students regardless of economic status. Programming could include:
 Early childhood classes
o Introduction to piano, guitar, strings, and percussion
o Music & movement
 Private & group lessons
o Piano, guitar, voice, strings, brass, woodwind, marimba, and percussion
 Ensembles
 Music theory
 Music composition
 Visiting performer “master classes”
 Classes on the use of music technology
 Classes on the use of recording equipment
The Need: The house had not been properly maintained for decades. We need to:
 Build office and meeting space on the ground floor
 Build sound proof and acoustically tuned practice rooms
 Replace the roof
 Strengthen framing of floors and roof to meet today’s code
 Repair/replace windows
 Support sagging floors on both the first and second floors
 Repair water damaged ceiling and walls
 Install plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and humidity control systems
 Remove old knob & tube wiring and install up-to-date electrical wiring
 Install bathrooms
 Install new siding

The Request: The Lowell Mason House is more than an historic building at 59 Green Street in Medfield, Massachusetts. By providing modern music facilities within an historic home, the Center will not only attract notable musicians with a desire to perform and teach in the birthplace of music education in America, but also become a hub where budding artists from varying cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds can use modern facilities to practice and grow. We invite you to join us to:
 Provide office and meeting space for arts and arts advocacy organizations
 Provide modern facilities for music teachers and students
 Reach out and maintain the “community” in musical arts
 Ensure opportunities for students of all ages for music instruction
 Create a museum to honor Lowell Mason, the House and his legacy

Contact Us: All inquiries or requests for further information should be directed to one of the following individuals:
Russ Hallisey
President
Ph: (508) 733-9995
rhallisey@lowellmasonhouse.org
Thomas Scotti
Treasurer
Ph: (857) 919-3942
tscotti@lowellmasonhouse.org
Mailing Address:
Lowell Mason House
PO Box 913
Medfield, MA 02052