Performing Arts to host band for beginners
MINOT, N.D. – Minot State and the surrounding community provide many opportunities to listen to a variety of musical performances. If you find yourself in the audience wishing you, too, could play on stage, now you can with the Minot Beginning Community Band.
Director of Bands at Minot State David Rolandson has been an advocate for music education and community development since he began teaching and will be supervising the project.
“The program really has two purposes,” he said. “The first purpose is the community side, that's to provide an opportunity for anyone who missed their opportunity to join band. You hear it all the time, people say, ‘oh, I always wanted to do that,’ or ‘I tried in sixth grade, and then I quit, and I regret it.’ This is that opportunity for them.
“Then, because we're a university and a teacher preparation program, there's that piece,” Rolandson continued. “The teachers in the program will be our music education students. We'll start at the beginning, everything from acquiring an instrument and assembly to making a tone and learning quarter notes. It's basically designed to be like beginning band for people who are past that age.”
The Minot Beginning Community Band is open to musicians ages 13 and up to give access to both children who missed their opportunity by only a few years and to adults who have longer wished to participate.
Each rehearsal will consist of two parts: an hour group lesson on the new instrument and an hour of full-band rehearsal. Students are also invited for additional private lessons on Wednesday evenings at no additional cost.
The informational meeting for the band is this Saturday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. in Old Main 121, the rehearsal space on the lowest level of Old Main. Rehearsals will follow suit every Saturday from 1-3 p.m. for the entire semester, with a performance scheduled on Sunday, May 1.
The cost for the semester is $50. Students who wish to play smaller instruments will be responsible for accessing their own instrument, and those who wish to play large instruments can rent one from the University. Scholarships are available.
“It’s a welcoming place for people to learn not just by themselves,” Rolandson said. “A lot of times when you're older, you have to take lessons for five, six, seven years until you feel comfortable playing with other people, but these will all be beginners. If you missed your chance, that's a big barrier, and I think even just the thought of that barrier prevents people from exploring it further. We are trying to break down those walls an create an opportunity where people don't have to feel like there are out of place.”
For more information and to register for the band, visit its WEBSITE.
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: 01/21/22 |
