Boyd Music

Boyd Music, located at 426 South Main Street in Jacksonville, has been a family owned and operated business for over 60 years. While the store offers a large selection of products such as pianos, drums, sounds systems, and sheet music, their true specialty is school band rentals. According to manager Mindy Boyd Crum, she and her staff are eager to start yet another busy fall “offering good quality brands at affordable prices.”

Boyd Music was founded in 1954 in Rushville, Illinois by Crum’s father Robert Boyd, a talented musician. Mr. Boyd then relocated the business to Jacksonville in 1974. The business has been a Jacksonville staple ever since. In addition to Crum, her brother Craig Boyd and their father Robert Boyd oversee the business. While Crum’s main duties involve bookkeeping and ensuring day to day operations of the business run smoothly, Craig is a skilled instrument repairman.

Trained at the Allied Musical Instrument Repair School in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, Craig is continually increasing his knowledge and learning new techniques for instrument repair. As a result of Craig’s abilities, the majority of Boyd Music’s instruments are able to be serviced in house. The ease of having instruments fixed in the Jacksonville area, combined with the company’s reputation of excellence is the reason that so many young musicians and their families turn to Boyd Music.

In most surrounding school districts, students have the option to begin playing in the band in the 5th or 6th grade. Crum shares that providing a first year band student with a quality instrument is one of the crucial steps in ensuring that child succeeds in their musical endeavor. Boyd Music offers those superior instruments, but does so economically through their affordable Rent To Own plan.

Through the Rent To Own plan, parents create a contract with Boyd Music and pay regular installments on the instrument. Every dollar paid on the plan applies to the purchase, and all financing is conducted through Boyd Music, not an outside banking institution. Crum notes that many students quickly discover that band is simply not for them, with nearly 25% of beginner band students dropping out their first year. In the case that a student does quit the band, after the instrument is returned to Boyd Music, monthly payments will simply end. In addition to the Rent To Own plan, outright purchasing of instruments is also available.

Boyd Music works closely with area schools and their band directors. Each fall, Boyd Music’s staff visits nearly 40 different schools during the evenings, providing students and their parents an opportunity to try different instruments and establish a Rent To Own plan. In addition to these evening visits, Boyd Music weekly contacts each school they service to provide the band director with supplies and to pick up or deliver repaired instruments. If the student has a performance, the business is also able to provide loaner instruments to them while theirs is being repaired

Unfortunately, Crum says the business has seen a dip in sales during recent years as several local school districts have cut their band programs. Multiple research studies have proven that there is a strong correlation between music and overall academic success. Boyd Music is proud to support the arts, and looks forward to meeting many young musicians this upcoming school year.

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About the author

Kelsey Schutz hails from White Hall and is an adventure junkie. Traveling (46 countries and counting), practical joking, and spending time on her family’s farm are among her passions.

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