Ben’s Big Benefit Music Show Coming June 2

A release from our friends at the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce:

The 4th Annual Ben’s Big Benefit Music Show will be held Saturday, June 2nd, at Reading’s Memorial
Park, starting at 4 p.m. The BBBMS started as the brainchild of Benjamin Mini, an 8th grade student at
Coolidge Middle School and an accomplished musician, seeking to combine his love of music and
performing, with his passion for helping those less fortunate.

Back in 2015, then 11-yr old Ben went to see his first concert, a performance by his favorite band U2 at TD Garden. Ben was overwhelmed by their musicianship as well as their decades of work for charities around the globe. At dinner the night of the show, Ben and his father Michael talked about how U2 uses their music as an opportunity to impact lives in a positive way, and Michael proposed a challenge to Ben: what could he do to give back, to use his special skills to help others who are less fortunate? It was then that the idea for the charity show was born. And Ben had a specific goal: make it a show by kids and families, to help kids and families.

What was initially envisioned to be a small event in their neighborhood quickly caught fire with others inspired by Ben and the concept of a charity concert led by kid musicians. First to help was Ken Polk, Ben’s long-time guitar teacher, and owner of Alpha Omega Music Studios in North Reading. Polk agreed to provide the sound system and any musical support he could. Ben enlisted help from his close friends and family, in researching charities, preparing music, organizing bands, and publicizing the show to the local community. Alpha Omega Music Studios has remained the co-sponsor of the event each year, including contributing sponsored youth bands to the event and providing lessons to many of the show’s participants.

The sponsored charities are:
 Cradles 2 Crayons – based in Boston, they provide children from birth through age 12, living in
homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive - at home, at school
and at play, supplying these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that
have with communities that need.
 Little Kids Rock - a national nonprofit dedicated to providing underserved schoolchildren across the
U.S. access to fun, engaging, music classes at no cost to the students, teachers, or school districts,
and donate all of the instruments and resources necessary to run rockin’ music programs.
 Reading Food Pantry - provides much-needed access to food for those in need in our local
community.

Suggested donations are $10 for adults and $5 for kids. As was for the past 3 shows, 100 percent of the
money received from the show will be donated to Cradles to Crayons and Little Kids Rock, and Ben
asks that anyone who attends the show to bring canned goods, with everything collected being given to
the Reading Food Pantry.

In the three prior years, BBBMS has raised nearly $8,000 for the charities and large amounts of food for
donation to the Pantry. In recognition of his charity work on BBBMS, Ben was awarded Channel 7’s “Class Act” segment last June, receiving an award and being featured in a news story.

This year’s show will feature music from 4 bands:

CBTween: A duo featuring Ben and the astonishing Cate Mangione on vocals. Mangione is an 8th grade student from Rowley who has entered the 2015 and 2017 Seacoast Idol competitions, winning her age group and finishing in the Top 3 both years (out of 2,800 vocalists!). They have performed their mix of blues, jazz, soul, and country at multiple events and locations in Reading and the North Shore. The combination of Cate’s soulful voice and Ben’s musical skills have created a musical chemistry that is very special.

Joey Costantino: A veteran of Alpha Omega and long-time collaborator and mentor to many of AOMS’ young musicians, 18-year Costantino will be performing a set of original songs with the help of some former and current AOMS musicians.

Drop the Bass: The Reading Coolidge Middle School acapella troop will be performing a brief set to showcase their talents on songs they’ve been working out all semester. Coolidge Middle School Music teacher, Anna Wentlett, has done another phenomenal job getting the kids ready.

The Launch: Ben’s newest band – this winter he pulled together some of the best young musicians in Reading and formed this 8-piece pop, jazz, funk, and rock group. They are very excited to be making their debut at BBBMS4.

Ben comes from a musical family. He got his first guitar at 5 years old, drums at 6, a piano and ukulele
at 7. He is classically trained on piano and studies guitar under the tutelage of the Berklee-trained Polk.
His musical palette is up to 8 instruments now – including bass guitar, trumpet, French horn, and even
banjo. Ben enjoys a wide variety of musical genres, though his preferred music is classic rock, and his
favorite band remains … U2.

So please put us on your calendar for Saturday June 2nd ! It’s for a number of excellent causes and you’ll
have a great time! We are looking forward to another great year thanks to our wonderful and supportive
community!