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FROM OUR DIRECTOR
Welcome to the New Horizons Band of Summit and Stark Counties! I am excited about meeting you and welcoming you in person to our family of Music Lovers! At this time, I want to share with you some important information that will make your first visit with us easy and very enjoyable. We all agree that there is no such thing as a dumb question so please feel free to ask any of us at any time about something that may not be clear to you. You may send an email directly to me jimadkins@nhb-neo.org or you may call me on my cell phone (330.858.2045). Nothing like hearing it directly from the horse's mouth! As a member of the New Horizons Band, you may participate in any or all classes and rehearsals that we have scheduled at our three rehearsal locations which are listed on the Calendar. All members (strings, brass, woodwinds, & percussion) provide their own instruments. If you are just beginning and do not own an instrument please contact me directly. We are privileged to have many music stores and studios in our area that can provide a rental instrument for you at a reasonable price. We recommend that you start out with a rental instrument which we are sure you will want to purchase after you attend several rehearsals and experience how much fun it really is to play in our groups. Every member also purchases their own copy of the Lesson Book that we use. The brass, wind, and percussion players use "The Standard of Excellence" Book One by Bruce Pearson (current members are now using book number two). This book should correspond to the instrument you are playing. (example, trumpet players need the book written for trumpet, clarinet players need a clarinet book, etc.). Book one is red and is published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company. You can get this book at any music store that sells band instruments. If you are renting or purchasing an instrument, you can deal with local instrument stores, however, our Sponsor is always willing to help. Music stores are listed in the yellow pages. Department or discount store instruments are usually a bad purchase. Call me if you have questions. All of our members also supply their own music stand which can be purchased at the same store as your lesson book and instrument. String players use a completely different lesson book. This book is entitled "ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS" Book One and is written by Robert Gillespie. It also comes specific to the instrument that you are learning (example, violin should purchase a violin book, cello a cello book, etc.). This book is yellow/gold and is published by Hal Leonard Music Company. You will need your own music stand. Other supplies that each of us supply for ourselves include pencils, reeds, mutes, and cleaning materials that are specific to each instrument. Sheet music is provided by the instructor or director and it is from this collection of tunes that we prepare and perform our concert literature. You will keep this sheet music either in the folder that we supply for you, or in a book or binder of your choice. This music, along with your lesson book and a pencil, must be brought to every class, rehearsal, or performance. We have official New Horizons shirts and sweat shirts that we wear as our uniform during our many concert performances. These shirts and price can be paid as part of your first months fees. Click here to view the shirts and prices. As you may or may not know, each member pays a monthly fee. This fee goes toward offsetting rental fees, music, and supply costs, and part of our instructional costs. We are fortunate to have a Sponsor and three hosts that make the substantially larger costs of operating this organization possible. Although we recommend that you attend at least one class or rehearsal each week, please understand that we know folks are busy. Sometimes it's just not possible. THAT'S OK! Some of our folks come two or three times a week and others can only come twice a month. That's not a problem. We ask that you sign in at the beginning of each rehearsal and/or class. Occasionally we have a combined rehearsal in which the members from Cuyahoga, Norton, and Canton participate together. We ask that you let us know, if for some reason, you are not able to make a combined rehearsal or performance in advance of the absence. It's all pretty friendly and simple. If you do not know how to read music do not let that stop you, there are numerous web sites that offer free instruction on Music Theory. Just go to a search web site like Yahoo.com, enter Music Theory in the search field, choose a web site and have fun learning. The beginner classes will cover Music Theory, but if you come with some knowledge, it will be more enjoyable for you. Remember: if something is not clear, call me at 330.858.2045 or email me: jimadkins@nhb-neo.org
Musically Yours, |
