Signing the golden music stand is a reward for some Washington Middle School band students. The golden stand was once olive green but has since been spray-painted. Band director Craig McClenahan shares where that stand that has held countless sheets of music came from, “I put an ad in the newspaper and the man that taught guitar lessons for years in Sigourney, Robert Keener, his wife decided she was going to get rid of all his music equipment. It was time to sell everything. And this was within a lot of different equipment like guitars, music, and accordions, and just all sorts of things. So there was this music stand included also. So, when I first started teaching back in 1986, just private lessons, this was my music stand that I used and he’d been using it since 1960.” McClenahan had been saving up to buy a car, but instead spent the $250 on the music equipment, including a blonde Gibson. Over the years he’s sold the other items from that collection, but has held onto the stand.

In order to sign the now golden stand, students have to memorize and play 12 scales within a school year. There are now 21 names on the golden stand. Nine of those of have come so far this school year. The latest student to sign the stand was flutist Rita Du on her birthday last Thursday. The front of the stand is filled with signatures, Du was the first to sign the lip. Washington Middle School students have just over a month to add their names to the golden stand before summer break.