Beginning Community Band is a program with longevity
MINOT, N.D. – At the beginning of this semester, the Minot State Division of Performing Arts began the first season of their new Minot Beginning Community Band. Now as the semester nears its end, their work is paying off — and will continue to pay off with the help of a $20,000 grant from the Minot Area Community Foundation.
The Minot Beginning Community Band started with two ideas in mind: to provide an opportunity to learn an instrument to people who may have missed their chance, and to give music education students more experience teaching.
Assistant Professor of Geography and Program Coordinator Zebulon Wallace is one of the people who missed their initial opportunity but still wanted to learn.
“I really had no musical background. I had always wanted to be in a band but never had the opportunity, and in high school, we didn't have a band. It was a small school,” he said. “Playing with a group, I had never really done that before. I taught myself violin, sort of. I've messed around with that a little bit, but actually understanding and reading music, timing, and things within the music, I didn't know.”
Wallace chose to learn the alto saxophone because he thought it was something he could tackle. And because it is his mother’s favorite instrument.
“Looking at the list of instruments, I was like, okay, my mom loves the saxophone,” he said. “She loves listening, so I'm going to try to learn this saxophone so then I can play for her someday.”
On top of the scheduled practices with the band, Wallace also has dedicated time to his practice outside of rehearsal.
“I would try to get here super early in the morning to practice with it so that no one would hear me. Then with the band, I would be nervous, but I realized at the very beginning, the other people were all beginners too.”
Even the teachers of the band are beginners. David Rolandson, Minot State director of bands and Beginning Band coordinator, assigned the participating music education students to teach instruments that they, too, are not experts in. Many are also taking lessons on new instruments themselves. The showcase concert on Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall will also feature student conductors.
“The Beginning Band Program has been very successful. First, the community members who joined the program to learn an instrument are doing a wonderful job,” Rolandson said. “I have seen equally impressive growth from the teachers in the program. The way we designed the instruction required all teachers to instruct students on secondary instruments. For example, our teachers who are brass players are teaching woodwind and percussion instruments, not brass. As a result, I have watched the teachers gain confidence and skills every week as they work to stay ahead of their students on the respective instruments they are teaching.”
Music education major and trumpeter Megan Klebe is one of these student teachers, instructing Wallace on the saxophone.
“We all have our own instruments that we have spent years honing our own skills on, and some of us already teach private lessons on that instrument,” Klebe said. “It's much more difficult to teach one person, much less an entire class full of students, on a multitude of instruments we may have only had a week or two to learn in our methods courses.”
“Megan and I have been working together, and it's nice because even though she's just beginning, sometimes if she squeaks or something, that makes me feel better, but she knows that music very well,” said Wallace. “Being able to teach me and explain things in a very clear way, and then just letting them have the experience to conduct the whole group, I think that's really cool. They're learning at the same time because David's there giving them pointers. There was one time that one of them didn't really count us off to get us started, and it would be helpful to mouth that out to us, so David gave them an example. It's nice for them but then also for us to communicate back and forth.”
Attend their concert on May 1 and see the musicians’ new skills for yourself, Klebe included, who will also try her hand at a new instrument.
“The thing I’m most looking forward to during the showcase concert is seeing how far my saxophone students have come, along with all the other students. And playing the tuba of course,” she said.
The Beginning Band has received two grants so far. The first came from the University to support Rolandson’s research project about how effective the beginning band program is in helping MSU music education majors. It also helped supply the initial round of sheet music, reeds, mouthpieces, and other starting materials for the new musicians.
The $20,000 grant from the Minot Area Community Foundation consists of matching funds from a previous grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts. While the Beginning Band did not receive that grant, the donors agreed to give their matching pledges to the band anyway, and the funds were used to purchase additional instruments, including a tuba, euphonium, tenor saxophone, and French horn.
Thanks to the work of the Division of Performing Arts, all of the participating students, staff, faculty, and community members, and the generous grant from the Minot Area Community Foundation, the Minot Beginning Community Band will welcome many more musicians to come.
“It's designed and well thought out to pull you along and get you there,” said Wallace. “You should totally do it.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
| Published: 04/26/22 |
