Archive: Around Town

With major cutbacks in the school budget, one of the casualties projected was the summer music lessons that band and orchestra teachers have offered their students for years.  But a chance conversation resurrected the program, and lessons will be available this summer.  "Gail Hughes has been one of our long-standing chaperones in our ski program," says Lansing Recreation Director Steve Colt.  "During one of the Monday night ski trips we were talking about the summer program, because she leads our band camp.  She mentioned to me that with all the budget cutbacks at school there was a high likelihood that the summer music lessons would be scrapped."

Hughes is the middle school band teacher, and also works one on one with young musicians.  "I said, 'Gee that's a shame.  Maybe we could find a way to keep that going, because it's a nice thing to be able to take a music lesson from your music teacher in the summertime to keep your skills up," Colt continues.  "She was amenable to the idea, and she drove it.  She brought us a proposal, and we are looking at how to word it and make it logical so that when people see it they know how to register."

Colt says that the Recreation Department can't offer the lessons for free, but they will make them available for as low a fee as possible.  Offering music lessons through the his department isn't as unusual as it seems, especially in Lansing.  The Band Camp that Hughes leads each summer for the department has been hugely popular, a week-long intensive band experience.  Last year the department added Orchestra Camp to give strings players the same opportunity.  Both camps are planned again for this summer.


"I really like those camps, because it goes beyond the traditional programming," Colt says.  "You never want to give up your staple, your traditional programs.  But the more you can diversify and reach out with different programs, it's going to appeal to more people.  That's their form of recreation and what they're into.  It makes it nice when you can offer those things."

Colt says that his staff is simplifying the application form to make it suit his department's needs and make it understandable to parents.  He has already met with the music teachers and with Superintendent of Schools Stephen Grimm, all of whom are enthusiastic about keeping the opportunity for summer music lessons alive.  He says the application form will come out with the Spring booklet of department offerings, due in early May.

The only thing new about the arrangement is that it will be run by the Recreation Department, and that there will be a small fee.  "As far as the actual organization, administration and teaching the lessons, that will all stay the same," Colt says.  "Same location in the band room in the middle school.  The consistency will be good."

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