An Abridged History of New
Horizons Band First Decade
And so it began...
On December 23, 1990 the following
appeared in the Rochester, New
York Democrat and Chronicle:
Senior
citizens' band forming at Eastman School
You say you always wanted to learn to play an instrument but
never had time? Well, if you're 52 or older, now's the time: The Eastman
School of Music hopes to form a 40 member senior citizens' band---- and
you learn to play a wind or percussion instrument in the bargain. Fees
for classes, instruction books and first semester are $70. Members will
be able to rent instruments from local music stores. Roy Ernst, Eastman
music educator, will supervise; Eastman grads will provide small-group
instruction and lead concerts. The first semester is 10:30 to 11:30 Tuesday
and Thursday mornings, Jan. 29 to May 17; call 274-1540.
In the beginning the band was called The Eastman School of Music Band for Senior Adults. The name New Horizons doesn't appear in the list of names suggested by the members but was chosen by the time the band performed its first concert. Roy was awarded a two year grant from NAMM, The National Association of Music Merchants, which kept the program free for participants. Imagine how delighted people were to discover they didn't have to pay! Wendell Harrison Music offered discounted instrument rentals to participants.
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Figure 1Roy Ernst directing early concert
Believe
it or not, the band performed its first concert in Cutler Union on December 12,
1991! After that, Roy wasted no time
getting the band booked for gigs. In 1992 they performed in a few area schools,
St. Mary's Hospital, and the Rochester Convention Center. The following year the band “marched” in the
Rochester Lilac Festival Parade. Actually, most of
them rode in a pontoon boat, pulled on a trailer with Roy using a boat oar to
conduct. In subsequent years he booked several summer gigs which included
concerts at Ontario Beach, the Fairport Gazebo, and the Grape Festival in
Naples, New York. The band also performed at senior living homes and area
malls. Holiday concerts were performed
in local malls. In March of 1999 the band participated
in an inter-generational concert with students at French Road Elementary
School, an event that continues today.
In early years rehearsals were held at Cutler Union, part of
the University of Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery. This meant the employees
were treated to the sounds of “music” coming forth from the hall. It's been rumored that these employees complained this
“music” caused pain to their ears. Thus in October of
1992, rehearsals were moved to Orcutt Botsford Fine Arts. Then we really went
on the road. During the next eight years, New Horizons held rehearsals at
several local venues: St. Jude's Church, Temple Beth El, The Baptist Temple, St.
Patrick's Church in Victor, and The United Methodist Church in Webster. The
program had grown so large by 1999, that early fall rehearsals were held at
Webster United Church, Temple Beth El, and the First Unitarian Church of
Rochester across the street. By November, they had managed to work out a
schedule using Temple Beth El and the Unitarian Church. In the early 2000s we
finally landed full time in the Unitarian Church where we remain.
The band performed its first Spring Concert in May of 1993
at Nazareth College. An annual Spring Concert was held there until 1998 when
the band were thrilled to perform in Eastman Theater, home of the Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra. Band members worked diligently to publicize the
concert. They sent articles to local newspapers, mailed advertising post cards
to friends and family, and gave interviews on local radio and television shows.
The result of all this hard work was an audience of about 1,500! Kodak Hall at
Eastman Theater remains the venue for the band's annual Spring Concert.
Many of us enjoy attending New Horizons music camps. The
first mention of a New Horizons music camp is at Snowmass Village in Aspen,
Colorado, in June 1994. More camps followed: Chautauqua, NY, September 1994 and
1995 as well as Devil's Head, WI, 1995. These were followed by Lake Placid and
Chautauqua, and even Sydney, Australia in 1998. In April 1999, some members
took a musical tour of Arizona and New Mexico. New Horizons music camps remain very popular today.
Musicians were always encouraged to form their own small
ensembles and to build a library of music. Small groups were welcome to play
before rehearsals or during breaks. Wendell Harrison Music also offered them
space in the store for practicing. Roy suggested that the small ensembles perform
for friends and families. These small ensemble concerts continue with annual
performances in Eastman School of Music's Hatch Hall in March and “An Evening
of Ensembles” at Kilbourn Hall in May.
It didn't take long for other bands
to be developed. By 1996, we had a Green Band, Gold and Silver Bands, Dance
Band, German Band, and a Clarinet Choir. Green Band was and still is the
welcoming platform for beginners and those returning to playing after a long
hiatus. The Silver and Gold Bands most likely played music of differing
difficulty just like today's Concert and Symphonic Bands.
In Spring of 2000 the concept of a small, 40-member Red Band was developed. A few musicians from each section signed up to play Red Band gigs at senior centers and elementary schools around the community.
Besides being the leading figure in Rochester New Horizons,
Roy began traveling the country and the world to work with others in starting
New Horizons groups. Fall of 1994 Roy was awarded a five-year grant from NAMM
for the purpose of expanding New Horizons. On the program for the holiday
concert in 1994, there are notes telling us that Ed Mizma
conducted alone; Roy was at The University of Iowa to start a band, then
heading to Carefree, AZ the following week to start one there. Between 1994 and
1997 New Horizons grew to include fifteen bands across the country. Records
show that by the Spring of 2000, the program had grown to 52 bands, including
one in London, Ontario, Canada.
Ed Mizma continued to conduct the
Rochester bands along with Richard Sitts until 2007.
There is no documentation giving us exact dates for when each of them came on
board. We know they held it together while Roy traveled the country. Through
the first decade of New Horizons, Roy's name appears in all the rosters as one
of the conductors.
In our Rochester New Horizons Bands scrapbooks are newspaper
articles referring to the band being featured on The TODAY Show. Several
members had their stories printed in local newspapers. It's
apparent that New Horizons was a popular and interesting news topic at the
time.
One of the pleasures of looking through the scrapbooks is
coming upon “Royisms.” He has a talent for saying
some rather humorous things. For example, to beginning students: “If your note
comes along, play it.” After the band
performed “America's Finest,” Roy is quoted as saying, “This is a bicycle piece
– It's easier to play fast than to play slow.” He considered a wrong note as
“an ornamental note on the way to the right note.” In 1999 in
regards to lowering the age requirement for joining New Horizons, Roy
joked, “New Horizons Band and New Horizons Orchestra have lowered their
standards. You previously had to be age 50 or older to get in. Nowadays, it's
open to adults of all ages.” A favorite Roysim which
we've all heard and repeated is, “Play the notes you know; do the least harm
possible.”
To do justice to those early years, we must hear some of the
stories from the early members, several of which are featured in our 2014
Rochester New Horizons documentary Music for Life: The Story of New
Horizons. In the documentary Marion Claus tells viewers that the New
Horizons Orchestra started the year her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
“And I say that it literally saved my life going to New Horizons. It was a
wonderful thing.” Sue Wolfe
wanted to learn to play an instrument. It was Roy's habit to ask new members
what instrument they wanted to learn, or if there was an instrument at home
they would like to play. In Sue's case her husband, Chick, had tubas. Sue
reports when she plays in band, “I just sit there and think I can actually do
this. I'm actually sitting here playing. I never
thought I would do that. It's amazing. It's a
wonderful thing.” As Sue aged, the tuba got too heavy, so she switched to
trombone. What other organization will encourage and teach you how to play a
different instrument? David Hall never had the opportunity to learn how to play
a musical instrument while growing up. There was no music program in his
school. When he retired, he decided to take art lessons. The lessons were held
at the Memorial Art Gallery where he could hear the band practicing in Cutler
Union making what David describes as a “… God awful noise!” He asked his art
teacher what it was. When he learned it was a band for senior beginning
instrumentalists, he contacted Roy, telling Roy that he had “...always had a
hankering to learn French horn.” As he aged, he lost mobility in his hands and
quit New Horizons. He claims he was miserable, so after a year he joined again
and learned, at age 82, how to play trombone.
And Gwen Luke gives a testimony that will warm Roy's heart.
She says, “We have treats between band practice. And we visit with each other.
And then we get back to playing together.”
The first 10 years of Roy's inspired idea brought much joy
to early New Horizons participants, the joy of making music together, meeting
new friends, and being valuable members of the group with its many
opportunities. Now we look forward to carrying
these joys, these New Horizons traditions, forward into the 4th
decade of New Horizons Music. And always, we extend to Roy our heartfelt
appreciation.