Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Music Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
New Horizons Band appeals for support of music education at McFarland concert; invites new members
Summary
At a Mother’s Day performance at the McFarland Performing Arts Center, the New Horizons Band promoted music education, solicited donations, invited new members and announced a joint performance with the McFarland Community Band on June 26.
The New Horizons Band performed a Mother’s Day program at the McFarland Performing Arts Center and used the event to urge support for school music programs, solicit donations and invite new members, a band spokesperson said.
The band’s appeal came amid a program that included pieces arranged by Gordon Jacob and selections described by the ensemble as drawn from film soundtracks and community recitals. “Music education is not an option. So it should not be a privilege,” the band spokesperson said during remarks to the audience.
The remarks framed why the performance mattered to the community: the band thanked Ward Bridal Music and the McFarland High School music faculty for supporting the concert, named several performers and conductors, and encouraged audience members to consider joining the adult ensemble. “We rehearse on Wednesday evenings in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra’s lovely facility in Madison,” the band spokesperson said, adding that anyone interested should “see one of our conductors after today’s performance.”
Named participants included Maestro Mark Saltzman, who led a multi-movement suite arranged from 16th-century composer William Byrd; Catherine Pumb Walker, who conducted an individual piece; and soloists Charlie Walter (clarinet) and Libby Rowe (flute). The band also thanked Zach, identified as the director of the McFarland Performing Arts Center, and custodial staff for assisting with the performance.
The band announced a joint program with the McFarland Community Band scheduled for June 26 at the McFarland Performing Arts Center and noted a donations container by the sound booth for patrons who wished to support the ensemble. The spokesperson said members range from long-time players to people relearning instruments they last played in school.
More than 30 years of local involvement were noted when the band acknowledged Peter Sigler for his role teaching the ensemble decades earlier. Beyond the program and recruitment message, the event primarily functioned as a community concert and fundraiser rather than a policy or administrative forum.
