Educator Starts      A Town Band—

Striking Up

The Band

By Nancy K. Crevier

In keeping with the Newtown School System music department motto, “All children can and will learn music well by responding, creating, and performing in a variety of musical activities that lead to a lifelong involvement in the arts,” Reed Intermediate School (RIS) band director Robert Nolte has decided the time is right for a Newtown Community Band. Offered through Newtown Adult and Continuing Education, the Newtown Community Band will begin weekly rehearsals under his direction on Tuesday evening, March 3, from 7 to 9, at RIS on Trades Lane.

“What triggered it,” said Mr Nolte, “was the RIS 6th grade band students being able to work with the Westport Community Band. They come back to us every year and the parents rave about this program. It would be nice to have Newtown’s own older musicians acting as mentors.”

Mr Nolte, who has taught in the Newtown elementary and intermediate schools for nine years, has played percussion in community bands in Wallingford, New Haven, and Waterbury, and was assistant music director for Mack the Knife, The Life And Music of Bobby Darin, a 2004 Off-Broadway show. “As a professional musician, I’m often hired to play with the community bands, as well,” said Mr Nolte. He is enthusiastic about the new offering and is hoping that the idea of a band made up of older high school and adult members will appeal to at least 40 or 50 musicians in the area.

“I want it to be challenging enough for people who have played extensively, but not intimidating to someone who has not picked up an instrument for a while and wants to get back into it,” Mr Nolte said. Musicians should be able to read music, however, as rote learning will not really work for this format, he added.

The band will be traditional in the sense that it will consist mainly of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments playing a varied repertoire of music. “We will do traditional English band literature, marches, Broadway arrangements, and popular music,” said Mr Nolte. “Once the band gets settled we can feature singers or combinations of groups from around town. I see many possibilities with this group; maybe a summer program that would reconnect with former high school music students would be fun,” he said.

“My hope is that this could become a real part of the Newtown community. So far as I can tell, there hasn’t been a community band in town in any recent years in memory. It would be great for students to see that musicianship doesn’t have to end after high school, that you can take out your instrument and find other places to play,” Mr Nolte said.

There will be a nominal fee for participating, but at this time, the amount has not been determined. Mr Nolte is presently soliciting music companies and community service groups for funding to support the band. The number of participants will also have some bearing on the fee. By offering the program through the Newtown Adult and Continuing Education, the cost can be kept down, he said. “The insurance and facility use fees are covered, and another advantage to being in the school system is that we will have access to the school’s music library to cut back on the cost of renting or buying music,” Mr Nolte said. Renting or buying music can cost a band upwards of $1,000 for each concert.

“This could be a great activity for adults in the evenings that hasn’t been available. I think it will be fun, and that’s the bottom line,” he added.

To register for the Newtown Community Band, visit newtowncontinuinged.org to download a registration form. For more information, contact Mr Nolte at nolter@newtown.k12.ct.us.