October 15, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer
Welcome to “Five Minutes With” — Anchor’s feature to help us get to know our neighbors. Everyone has a unique story to tell, so let’s get to know each other a bit more! Have someone you’d love to spend five minutes getting to know? Email us at info@hinghamanchor.com.
Carol Britton Meyer recently connected with Hingham Public Schools music teacher Brian Cincotta. You can learn more about Brian below — his role as teacher and band director as well as his favorite local spot and vacation destination!
What is your role in the Hingham Public Schools? I’m a music teacher at Hingham Middle School and Hingham High School, primarily directing the bands for students in grades 7-12.
What does your work involve? I direct all bands that meet as classes during the school day for students in these grades, as well as several after-school ensembles including the HMS and HHS Jazz Bands, the HHS Chamber Winds, and the HHS Pep Band. I also teach Songwriting & Studio and Guitar Lab at HHS.
How long have you been a music teacher in the district? This September, I began my twenty-first year of teaching in Hingham. Time flies!
How did this role come about and why did it attract you? I was originally hired in 2005 to teach beginning band classes at the town’s elementary schools. Having just graduated from Boston University, I was hoping to stay close to the city. I’m a product of a seaside community in Rhode Island with a vibrant arts program, so Hingham felt like a natural fit for me. After Doug Wauchope’s retirement, I took on my current role in the district.
What is your music background? My background is a mixture of classical training in alto saxophone, piano and percussion, and more modern pop/rock experience. I’ve long been an avid singer-songwriter, composer, and performer, recording numerous albums both with groups and as a solo artist. It’s a blend of styles that’s made me equally comfortable in garage bands and marching bands at various points in my life.
What are your goals in this role, and what have you accomplished so far? I’ve always felt that the strength of an arts program is the sense of community it instills in its members. Where students are feeling increasingly isolated, the arts bridge gaps and forge lifelong bonds. They celebrate creativity, self-expression, resilience and collaboration. Over the past twenty years, I’ve strived to lead my ensembles with a “community-first” approach, fostering an understanding that what we do matters, that it is an essential part of the human experience, and that the joy of music-making is best shared with those around us under the biggest possible tent.
What is your favorite part of what you do? The nature of my role is that when I meet my students as seventh graders, most of them continue working with me until they graduate high school. The amount of growth I’m able to witness in them over the course of those six years is remarkable. Students truly become who they’re going to be while members of our program and taking a small part in that process of self-discovery, sharing the inevitable highs and lows of that journey, and connecting with them on a personal level is one of the job’s greatest perks.
Why is music such an important part of our lives? I would argue strongly that music – and the arts in general – give us a well-needed opportunity to pause and reflect. It challenges us to consider varied perspectives, our own biases and beliefs. It is the medium by which we often express the otherwise inexpressible. The act of creating it requires persistence, diligence, humility, and collegiality. Its study values collaboration over competition, is inclusive by nature, and teaches our children accountability, mutual respect, and that channeling your emotions into something beautiful is far cooler than you’ve ever realized.
What’s special about your band students? What consistently impresses me about my band students is how well they represent the fabric of the school as a whole. They are valedictorians, sports captains, robotics wizards, and star actors. My groups feature both kids who thrive in the academic setting and those for whom music is what gets them through the day. They’re thoughtful, care for each other, have strong opinions, and are authentically hilarious. Their ability to converge so successfully in our rehearsals despite their many differences speaks so clearly to music’s universality and their strength of character.
Where do the bands perform and what kind of music? Our bands perform repertoire in a variety of styles (including classical, jazz, and more contemporary works), and we can be found playing at concerts and sporting events held in the schools throughout the year, downtown for various festivals (Arts Walk, Downtown in Bloom) and at Town Hall for the annual Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies. It’s hard to miss us!
What makes the Hingham High School community unique? The faculty and staff at HHS (and HMS) are second-to-none. The opportunities they provide for our students, guiding them through challenging AP curricula, advising countless clubs and after-school activities, and serving as role models and counselors to them as they navigate an increasingly challenging time in their lives makes this a community of which I’m proud to be a part.
What makes Hingham special? As a fairly-new Hingham resident, (my family moved to town in 2019) I’ve admired how well the town maintains its deep sense of tradition. We attended the Fourth of July Parade for the first time this past year and I was immediately struck by the small-town charm of the event, and I’ve been moved by the support the town gives to its veterans in ceremonies that are both well-organized and well-attended. The town feels both historic and innovative – it’s the best of both worlds!
What’s your favorite Hingham restaurant and meal? It’s so difficult to decide! It’s hard to turn down a cup of clam chowder from Stars or a Euromart sandwich. I’ve also been around enough high schoolers to know the power of a buffalo chicken calzone from Crow Point Pizzeria.
What’s your favorite local Hingham spot? World’s End is an obvious (and appropriate!) answer, but I’m also a big, unabashed fan of the transfer station. I love the sense of order you feel when you separate all of your cans and plastic, and the frequent opportunities to catch up with your neighbors while doing so. I also found a pair of rollerblades at the Swap last year that had me tearing up my driveway until my embarrassed daughters asked me to stop.
What do you most enjoy doing in your spare time? I’m happiest with my wife Sarah and two daughters, Lucy and Margot, discovering new local adventures and laughing around the dinner table. I also tolerate walking my dog, Frankie, up and down Main Street as my students honk at me from their cars.
Favorite vacation destination? I’m such a fan of Disney World that I’ve somehow worked the trip into our rotation of destinations for our annual music department excursions at HHS. Two years ago, I went with the band and again with my family over a two-week span. It, admittedly, was a lot.
Do you have a hidden talent? As an all-too-eager performer, I’m not often one for keeping my talents hidden. That being said, I can name all of the United States presidents in order. Try me.
Interesting fact about yourself that others may not know about? Since moving into our very old house in Hingham, I’ve attempted many home renovation projects myself. It’s been a terrific exercise in creative problem-solving, (not unlike the arts!) and I’ve only been electrocuted once.
Anything else you would like to add? The best way to support our arts programs in Hingham is to engage with them. Attend our performances, recognize and honor their value in the lives of our children, and acknowledge their role in developing a complete, well-rounded learner. The world is better when it’s a musical place!
This was fantastic.Mr Cincotta is a world class educator and we are so lucky to have him in our community – and my kids werent event in band! I will never forget him leading class under the massive tents during the COVID pandemic and being a force behind the Pep Band. The Pep Band makes such an impact when they are able to show up for high school games. “Historic and innovative” – loved this line. Thanks for all the joy you give, Mr Cincotta