Concept and Philosophy
New Horizons Music programs provide entry points to music making for adults, including those with no musical experience at all and those who were active in school music programs but have been inactive for a long time. Many adults would like an opportunity to learn music in a group setting similar to that offered in schools, but the last entry point in most cases was elementary school. We know that for most of the last century, about 15-20 percent of high school students nationally participated in music. From that, we can estimate that at least 80 percent of the adult population needs beginning instruction in order to participate in making music. New Horizons Music programs serve that need.
The first New Horizons program at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York was designed to ... [read the entire article]
Dr. Roy Ernst
Founder of the New Horizons Program
[The following was written by Dr. Ernst (slightly edited) for the Introduction to “New Horizons 2004”, a book about many of the New Horizons bands and orchestras that have been created since the early 1990’s.]
I confess that in the late 1980s, when I was just thinking about starting a music program for retired adults, I thought, “Well, we would want to give concerts, but probably no one would come.”
I was so wrong. You will find that New Horizons bands and orchestras become important parts of their communities ... [read the entire article]
The President’s Corner
Dick Prettyman, President
Suffield, CT 06078
January 2012
Over 8,500 adult musicians are now enjoying the opportunity to make music in New Horizons groups. Many of our 200 groups have sub-groups – such as swing bands, Dixieland bands, string quartets and flute choirs – providing even more opportunities for musical expression and social interaction. In 2011, hundreds of musicians participated in New Horizons band camps and tours of New Horizons group locations/rehearsals in the US and Canada.
Our recently redesigned website provides helpful information to our members, directors and prospective musicians. In the month following the publication of an article on NHIMA in the AARP Bulletin, the website registered 22,000 visits ... [read the entire article]
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