Those of us involved with the instrumental music program here at Kenowa Hills have very strong feelings about what a positive effect the program can have on a young person’s education, both formally and informally. The emphasis is on life skills that the student will be able to use when they have gone on into their post middle school/high school lives, be it higher education, the work force, military, or raising a family and running a household.  This is done by giving the students an opportunity to work in a group setting to prepare for contests, festivals, and other public performances and to strive to attain a level of performance that is as close to perfection as possible. It is also achieved by giving the students opportunities such as group travel where the students are expected to conduct themselves properly in various settings. 

Some of the ideals that we work on are: working and getting along together, good citizenship, group and self discipline, goal setting, work ethics, responsibility to yourself and others, following directions, group and self pride, attention to detail, group and self expression, good communication skills, concentration, time management, good social skills, regular practice/study habits and good musicianship. 

As you can see, being in a music organization involves much more than knowing how to play an instrument properly. 

Another emphasis of the program that is stressed is the value of family. We like to get young people and their families involved and then work together to form our “Musical Family.” We talk about working together, watching out for and taking care of each other not only on the field or in the concert hall, but also during school and in our community.  Being involved with the music program can be a fun and rewarding experience for the entire family. 

Finally, one more goal of the program is to make students aware of the careers that exist in the field of music. There is much more available than just teaching or performing. There are opportunities in the commercial end of music (retail, advertising, recording industry, etc.), technical (instrument manufacture and repair), electronics/computers, theory (writing, arranging), publishing (business, copyist), managerial (musicians’ agent), research (musicologist/historian), health (music therapy), just to name a few. It should be obvious that a student can go in many different directions in the field of music.