Music Bridging the Gap

In a first-time collaboration, the Middlesex Concert Band and the Wakefield High School Wind Ensemble will present a combined concert on Friday, May 8, 2015, 8:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Galvin Middle School. Each group will present separate programs of approximately 30 minutes each before combining for a massed band performance. This concert is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Wakefield Music Boosters, who provide support to all Wakefield Public School music programs.

In school, music is a big part of many students’ lives. From early elementary music classes through high school and college bands and orchestras, learning to play and perform music is personally rewarding and mentally stimulating. But what happens after graduation? Unfortunately, many instruments end up gathering dust as career and family pressures increase. Research shows a connection between musical training and increased mental acuity that can benefit people of all ages. Community bands, like the Middlesex Concert Band based in Wakefield, are an enduring tradition that provide a perfect outlet for those who want to dust off those instruments and continue reaping the joys and benefits of playing music as an adult.

Middlesex Concert Band (MCB) members are excited about this opportunity to collaborate with Wakefield’s high school musicians, some of whom may one day become a part of the community music tradition by joining MCB or another local community band. The conductors of the two ensembles, Mark Olson, MCB Music Director, and Tom Bankert, Director of Visual & Performing Arts for Wakefield Public Schools, see this concert as not only an opportunity to present some great music to the public, but also to expose the students to the possibilities for making music a part of their lives after graduation. “The highlight of the evening will be the two ensembles performing at the end as one group,” Olson said, “celebrating the power that music has in bringing musicians of various ages together.”

Music Bridging the Gap takes place at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2015 in Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Galvin Middle School, 525 Main Street, Wakefield. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the Middlesex Concert Band, go to www.mcbconcertband.org.