By Carol South
Special to the Record-Eagle
May 13, 2008 07:05 pm New and improved, the Summer Band is back! Geared to musicians in grades 5-12 from public, private, charter and homeschools, the annual Rock and Roll Youth Orchestra will be based this summer at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center. The intergenerational band, which also welcomes college students and parent guests, is geared to string, woodwind, brass, percussion, guitar and vocal musicians. Meeting two mornings a week for five weeks in July and August, the Summer Music Camp is now enrolling students. A $25 fee includes nine rehearsals, an outdoor concert and a finale concert and recording session at Lars Hockstad Auditorium. No audition is required and musicians from beginning to experienced are welcome to join. A grant from the Dennos Museum Center and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs help support the camp, which is held in cooperation with the Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation Department. Summer Band founder and band leader Jeremy Treadwell bubbles with enthusiasm at the expanded format, which has room for up to 100 participants. "Basically I'm not going to rule anybody out -- if they're comfortable fitting in with the group and have fun fitting in with the group that means they're good," he said. "I think there's a lot of value in the experience of being part of it and for a lot of these younger kids hopefully it's an inspiration for them to work harder on their instruments." Treadwell encourages any interested music student to enroll, even if they cannot attend every session. He needs to know numbers and instruments as soon as possible for planning. "I need to get the instrumentation established so I know about what instruments I need to fill in," noted Treadwell, who is a self-taught conductor and experienced musician himself. Bringing the Summer Band to the Grand Traverse County Civic Center grounds, where students can rehearse outdoors or have a picnic lunch afterward, has turned into a win-win arrangement. The sounds of classic rock, jazz, pop and big band music wafting through the air Wednesday and Friday mornings this summer will herald the presence of arts at the traditionally sports-minded complex. "There's so many different activities involved in the recreational spectrum and arts are typically left off that list and it's unfortunate," said Jason Jones, interim director of the Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation Department. "We're really excited to be able to offer arts to go along with other sports activities and structured activities." Last year the band, which had 40 members, met at St. Francis High School and in 2006 the musicians played at Traverse City West Junior High. Rental fees for the facilities and the desire to expand the program led Treadwell to approach county recreation officials. "Last year we put on a concert there and they just loved it -- it was, 'When can you come back?'" recalled Treadwell. "That started a dialog." As he does every year, Treadwell has lined up adult mentors to help teach students. The 2008 Summer Band students will include a roster of 15 area music teachers and professionals, who will guide students as they work in sectionals or as the whole group. Veteran music teacher and performer Steve Weldon of Acme will pitch in as mentor for clarinet, saxophone and voice. The Traverse City Area Public Schools sixth-grade teacher relishes the Summer Band's enthusiasm each year, deeming it an excellent way for students to make friends, grow musically and stay excited about participating in band and orchestra. "Here it is the summer and they still want to just come in and play music," said Weldon. "He's really made an effort to provide some fun music for them to play. The kids obviously are just having a blast because otherwise they wouldn't be doing it." "He's a way for them to do a band camp right in town," he added. A brochure explaining the Summer Band, schedule and mentors plus a registration form is available at area schools, the Grand Traverse County Civic Center office and Marshall Music. For more information, contact Treadwell at fjtread@aol.com.
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Photos
Jeremy Treadwell of Traverse City is eager to begin the next iteration of the rock 'n' roll youth orchestra he founded seven years ago in his living room. This year the Summer Band expands into a music camp based at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center, where there is room for up to 100 student musicians to learn from the 15 mentors Treadwell has lined up. Special to the Record-Eagle
Special to the Record-Eagle