New Horizons International Music Association

Pam Bolton [In April 2001, I retired from my position as Production Coordinator/Manager for the Canadian division of Liberty Mutual Insurance company. A year after I retired, my former high school music teacher, Peter Ford, called and asked me if I would be interested in playing again as he was starting a New Horizons Band in Peterborough. I attended his first information meeting, fell in love with the whole NHB concept, and I immediately jumped on the “band wagon.” I have never looked back, and I readily and happily admit that it has taken over my life. I play alto sax in a Wind Ensemble, a Swing Band, a 20 piece band that performs at most of the retirement homes, and a sax quartet.

Pam is the New Horizons International Music Association Board President for 2010.]

Welcome to the New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA) web site.

I am honoured to be the President of NHIMA for 2010, and I am truly grateful for the knowledge, wisdom, and enthusiasm of the eight fellow directors that will make up our team. The New Horizons Board of Directors is made up of nine members from across North America, and this ensures broad geographic representation within the organization. It also allows the board members to address and acknowledge the diversity in individual band development, structure, and operations. Please meet and learn about each of these dedicated board members by selecting the “NHIMA/Biographies” link to the left of your screen. Roy Ernst, our founder and our inspiration, is advisor to the Board, and his presence guarantees that we will never lose sight of the vision and purpose of NHIMA.

Our webmaster, John Morgan, is a multi-faceted brass player as well as a conductor. John and his wife are currently in the process of relocating to South Dakota, and we wish him well in his new surroundings. In his official capacity as webmaster, John makes it truly easy to explore, find answers to some of your questions, or learn about the organization. Simply follow the titles in the sidebar on the left of the screen to view numerous topics of interest. If this is your first visit, take time to browse and learn the history, the scope, and magnitude of this wonderful organization.

In addition to John, we have the outstanding services of Shirley Michaels, a clarinet/sax player in Greeley, Colorado. Shirley is our very talented editor-in-chief of the New Horizons Newsletter. Shirley previews all the pictures, letters, and article suggestions she receives from various sources and creatively edits them so that each semi-annual edition of the newsletter is interesting and exciting for our entire membership. The paper is then distributed to all dues paying members of the New Horizons International Music Association as well as our Business members.

Tony Oliver is an integral part of the NHIMA support team. Tony is responsible for our Data Base and is constantly updating, editing, and adding material for the entire membership. Our new messaging service “iContact” is built on that database, and it allows us to reach all our members simultaneously. Without accurate information and compilation about our member bands, musicians, and locations, we would experience complex problems in the daily needs of such a large organization. It is also Tony who creates our annual Membership Directory as well as sending out our renewal letters. Tony hales from Iowa and can frequently be seen wielding various percussion instruments while directing and teaching the percussion section at many of our New Horizons band camps.

In 2011 the New Horizons Music movement will be 20 years old. A committee has been appointed to begin planning events to celebrate this special Birthday, and you may want to delay some of your long term vacation plans in order to participate. If band camps are an indicator of how much fun New Horizons members can create, I am positive that the 20th Anniversary celebrations will be all that and more. In closing, I would like to wish everyone wonderful, musical moments and memories in 2010.

Musically yours,

Pam Bolton
President, NHIMA
Peterborough New Horizons Band
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada