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Adults age 50 and over, do you wish that you could...
Join the New Horizons Band, Forming Now! It's Never Too Late!
Already play a band instrument?
Need beginner or refresher lessons?
What is New Horizons Music? The Northeast Iowa School of Music (NISOM) is bringing an international adult music program to Dubuque, a New Horizons Band (NHB). NHB is living proof that, when it comes to learning to play a musical instrument, it truly is “never too late.” Most NHB members, who must be at least 50 years old, started taking music lessons only after passing their half-century birthday. Yet the New Horizons Music concept, the result of a groundbreaking music course at the University of Rochester’s (NY) Eastman School of Music, has become a popular performing ensemble in communities across the U.S., enticing amateur musicians ranging in age from their early fifties to mid-eighties.
Recent studies have determined that adults over 50 are the fastest growing segment of the population, and music and wellness in older adults is an increasingly popular area of study. Programs such as NHB provide mental and social stimulation, stress relief, and a number of other potential health benefits. Some holy unions have even been formed! In New York Charley and Rita Rose, both 80 years old, met while performing with the Rochester ensemble and married last year. The NHBs nationwide have confirmed the original convictions of creator Roy Ernst, Eastman music education professor, that music is an ideal activity for seniors. “Older adults have the time and motivation necessary to develop musical skills rapidly. In addition, performing music—especially in large groups—can improve health and quality of life,” said Ernst.
The pilot Eastman program in Rochester began in 1991. Sixty candidates responded to a local newspaper ad—twice the number expected. In the ensuing years, similar bands have popped up across the nation. To date, there are 350 New Horizons music members scattered throughout Milwaukee, WI; Indianapolis, ID; Iowa City, IA; Carefree, AZ; Madison, WI; and Winnetka, in addition to Rochester, NY. The program has even captured the hearts of senior musicians across the Pacific, with the formation of a NHO in Australia.
“Each of these chronologically gifted musicians have either met or exceeded their original expectations,” says Ernst. “A person in his or her seventies may not be able to develop the same level of technical skill that would have been possible in his or her late teens. On the other hand, senior adults have a lot of life experience to bring to their interpretation of music.”
Ernst and Eastman were instrumental in spreading the NHB program nationally, while grants from NAMM: International Music Products Association and the National Association of Band Instrument Manufacturers (NABIM) support NHBs nationwide. For more information about New Horizons Music, visit www.newhorizonsmusic.org. Thank you to our partners!
Most folks call it music lessons. I call it social hour!
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© 2003 NISOM Northeast Iowa School of Music, 2728 Asbury Road, Suite 200, Dubuque IA 52001 Email: admin@nisom.com Phone: (563) 690-0151 Fax: (563) 690-0152 |
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