New Horizons Band® at Hunterdon Academy of the Arts
Haven’t touched your musical instrument in a very long time? Always wanted to learn an instrument but never got around to it?
Now is the time!!
Starting January 2008, we are offering a great opportunity for adults and seniors to perform in a wind ensemble—our New Horizons Band. This band rehearses weekly under the leadership of an experienced band conductor.
Our New Horizons Band follows numerous such ensembles that in recent years have made headlines around the country.
History of New Horizons Music®
The first New Horizons Band was started by Professor Roy Ernst at the Eastman School of Music in 1991. It was supported by grants from NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), the International Music Products Association, and the National Association of Band Instrument Manufacturers (NABIM). The word spread through articles in publications such as The New York Times and a feature spot on The Today Show, and eventually the program expanded to include bands, orchestras and other ensembles. Today there are more than 100 New Horizons Music programs in the United States and Canada.
For more information regarding the National Association of Music Merchants or the concepts and philosophy of New Horizons Music, please visit the links below.
Learning to Play Music
Playing music is a special joy, and it will help you maintain mental and physical health. It is also a way of experiencing life: playing music from the past keeps us in touch with those feelings; daily practice keeps us active in the present, and striving for new goals attaches us to the future. One band member describes it as “serious fun.”
As a member of the New Horizons Music®, you will meet new friends and work with them as a team to learn music for concerts and other performances in the community. New Horizons ensembles typically perform many times each year in venues ranging from formal concerts to shopping malls to parks to retirement and nursing homes.
There are also a number of annual music institutes you can attend which cater to New Horizons musicians in locations like Aspen, CO; Lake Placid, NY; Door County, WI; Sydney, Australia; or Palm Springs, CA.
It’s Easy and It's Fun!
As an adult, you have advantages that will help you learn music. If you played an instrument in school years ago, you will be amazed at how much you remember and how quickly you will be able to play again. Even if you’ve never played music, you are already familiar with the sound of a lot of the music that will be included in your early instruction.
Most adults are more motivated, self-disciplined, and have more time to practice than their younger counterparts. If you attend lessons and practice, you’ll be playing music before you know it! From then on, it’s even more fun to play with others in classes, chamber music groups, bands, and orchestras.
In one study, nearly everyone who participated in a New Horizons Music® felt that their accomplishments met or exceeded their expectations.
Getting Started and Selecting an Instrument
Re-learn the instrument that you played earlier in life
Choose an instrument that has a sound or look that you have always liked
Check with the Band Director to see which instrument is needed in the band
Obtaining an Instrument
Use Your Own
If you already own an instrument or if you are using an instrument your children left behind, take it to a repair shop to make sure that it is in excellent working condition. Some music students become frustrated because they learn on an instrument that no one can play.
Rent an Instrument
Hunterdon Academy of the Arts is offering an excellent rent-with-option-to-own program with very reasonable fees.
Buy an Instrument
Once you’re certain of the instrument you’d like to play, purchase one at Hunterdon Academy of the Arts. It is recommended that you learn the basics of a particular instrument before making a decision on the purchase.
Call for details now at (908) 782-4943 or email us
