New Horizons Band
Active participation in music fills important needs for adults - the need for challenging intellectual activity, the need to be a contributing member of a group, and the need to have exciting events in the future. Launched in 2009, New Horizons at CMS is quickly becoming a popular favorite. Under the direction of Patricia Hurley, the New Horizons Band is a supportive group for beginners or those who have not played an instrument in years. There are no auditions and everyone is welcome! Band rehearsals are twice a week with performances scheduled during the semester. Standard band literature graded level 1-2 in all styles and genres will be performed.
Beginners are encouraged to schedule private lessons in preparation for joining full rehearsals (additional costs apply).
New Horizons Band with Patricia Hurley
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 11 am – 12 pm; 16 weeks; $250
New Horizons Musicianship Class II with Patricia
Hurley
Thursdays: 9:15-10 am 8
weeks beginning March 3 $160
The
musicianship class will cover topics of music theory related to the band
curriculum, including note reading and note values, time signatures, rhythm and
meter, dynamics, articulation, accidentals and intervals. Each session will also
include ear training. Prerequisite: completion of Musicianship I or approval of the instructor.
About New Horizons
The New Horizons music program was introduced in Rochester, New York in 1991, the brainchild of Roy Ernst of Eastman Conservatory. Today there are about 150 New Horizons bands, choruses and orchestras in the United States and Canada, with thousands of participants. These organizations provide an entry point for adults who have either never studied music or who have been away from it for many years, allowing them to share the joyful experience of recreational music making. As it was first developed, members had to be at least 50 years old, but we have opened our program to any adults who are available between 10 and 12 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for group lessons and band rehearsals. 
New Horizons bands are always nurturing, non-competitive and supportive in style. There are no auditions or chair tryouts. Everyone is welcome! As long as the band exists, there will always be space for new beginners to join the ranks and discover the joy of making music together.
The national New Horizons organization even sponsors several adult band camps each year, where participants come from all over the country to meet each other and make music together. The groups often perform in a variety of community venues, sometimes joining forces with other community bands or orchestras.
We invite you to join the recreational music movement — you’ll be glad you did! Be a part of the New Horizons Band of the Connecticut River Valley.