Playing for a Community

Traverse Symphony Orchestra looks toward a new Community Music School, summer concerts, and more education opportunities

By Al Parker | March 4, 2023

Aaron Stander is all about that bass—the upright bass, that is.

“My entanglement with an upright bass started about 10 years ago when I was entering my seventies,” recalls Stander. “One fall afternoon, as my wife and I were walking through the Interlochen State Park, we encountered another hiker wearing an Interlochen badge. I asked him what he did at the academy. He said that he was the bass instructor. I asked if an old person could learn how to play the bass, and he said, ‘No problem.’ But, in truth, it was more complicated than that.”

Stander is known for writing crime novels set in northern Michigan, but he was mystified about how to relaunch a musical education had gone dormant decades ago. He had played violin in an eighth-grade orchestra back in the 1950s…and it had not gone well. But the upright bass had always held something of a fascination.

Instruments aren’t cheap, so Stander asked the Interlochen bass instructor if he knew anyone who would trade a bass for a sea kayak. The instructor said he knew just the person, and a few weeks later, Stander had a student bass, a teacher, and one less kayak.

Taking the Stage

Fast-forward through several years of lessons, and Stander’s teacher, Derek Weller, encouraged him to play with a string ensemble.

“That had never really occurred to me,” Stander says. “I thought I would always continue playing the instrument in the safety of my living room.”

Stander soon joined the Traverse Symphony Orchestra (TSO) Prelude program. There, he found Lynne Tobin, who directs the Civic String Orchestras, and her then-colleague, Stephen K. Leonard, “extraordinarily welcoming.” Stander was the oldest person in the entry-level group, and one of the least experienced or skilled, so his return to the concert stage came with much apprehension.

“I managed to get beyond that and soon enjoyed the experience of playing in a group,” he says. “Lynne Tobin is an enormously skilled music educator. She has that special magic to pull people from diverse age groups and ability levels together to make music. Those of us who participate in Civic groups have the joy of producing something beautiful.”

The TSO Civic program is unique among community orchestra programs because it is a multi-generational experience.

“Many cities have youth orchestras and adult community bands, but having a musical ensemble that places a 10-year-old next to a 60-year-old is highly unusual,” says Tobin. “It’s such a wonderful mix of age and experience. The students bring energy and sort of a fearless approach to making music. They just jump right in and do it! The adults can be more nervous and hesitant to make mistakes, but they demonstrate commitment, attentive behavior in rehearsal, and a lifelong love of learning. No one is ‘making’ them participate; they are doing it because they want to play music. What better role model for the younger players?”

Tobin, who graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and earned degrees in cello performance from both the University of Michigan and Northern Illinois University, always enjoyed playing in groups, especially the Michigan Youth Symphony, summer camp orchestras, and university ensembles.

“That love of orchestral playing is what ultimately led me to conducting youth orchestra programs. There is nothing more exciting and satisfying than playing in a big orchestra,” she says.

The Civic Strings—with two subsets, Sinfonia for more advanced musicians and Prelude for the newcomers—hold their concerts at the First Congregational Church.

“And we always play to large, appreciative audiences,” notes Stander. “Over the last many years, I have benefited from playing in both Civic ensembles. In addition, an increasing body of cognitive science points to the benefits of playing music across a lifetime, including in one’s later years. … Playing in the Civic has provided me with much pleasure and the opportunity to continue to grow my skills.”

Finding New Sounds

If you don’t have a kayak to trade like Stander did but want to explore your musical side, never fear. There soon will be another TSO offering devoted to helping instrumentalists of all ages interested in resurrecting—or honing—their musical chops with little to no cost to families across the five-county region.

TSO is launching a Community Music School to make it more convenient for music lovers of every generation to learn to play the instrument of their choice. Tobin is enthusiastic about a Community Music School, saying it would be a “fabulous asset.”

“It would provide a place for people to find a music teacher, join an ensemble, take a music history class, or attend a rehearsal, all under one organized umbrella,” she says. “TSO Civic Orchestra rehearsals have been generously hosted by Central United Methodist Church for many years, but space is limited and requires significant set-up each week. It will be amazing to have a large, dedicated rehearsal space with chairs and music stands available.”

This past fall, the nonprofit received a $50,000 grant from Rotary Charities to support the endeavor.

“The grant really makes the first year possible,” says TSO Executive Director Dr. Kedrik Merwin. “We really need a space.”

The search is currently underway for a home location for the Community Music School. While that goes on, TSO operates a number of other educational programs for budding musicians. “The commitment from TSO has always been there,” says Merwin. “In fact, education is listed first in our mission statement.”

(The TSO mission statement reads: “A professional orchestra serving northern Michigan creating educational opportunities and community enrichment through excellence in symphonic and other music experiences.”)

Expanding the Audience

For example, TSO currently partners with the Traverse Area District Library for the TSO Tots@TADL program. It’s an hour-long session where youngsters five and under explore rhythm and instruments of the orchestra for hands-on musical fun. It’s sort of an instrument petting zoo, story reading, movement class, and crafts program all in one. Upcoming sessions are April 1 and May 6.

“We have the Tots and we have the Civic Strings, but we’re missing a chunk in the middle,” says Dr. Angela Lickiss Aleo, director of education and music librarian for TSO. “That’s where the Community Music School can come in. We’re also expanding our reach to Manistee, Leland, and Frankfort. We’d like to work out an arrangement with Petoskey and Kalkaska also.”

Other programs include TSO in the Schools—where one-day instrument workshops are held in local middle and high schools—and the Suzuki School, which is essentially a semester-long commitment that includes weekly private lessons and group classes for children. TSO has also been giving away hundreds of tickets through their new Students at the Symphony outreach to help local band and orchestra students experience professional orchestra concerts for free.

In addition to their education programs, TSO will put on multiple concerts this spring, with Appalachian Spring, part of their Symphonic Series, up next on March 19, 2023. Our sister publication in Traverse City, The Ticker, also recently reported on the planned launch of TSO’s summer concert series in downtown Traverse City’s new civic square at the corner of State and Union Streets.

Merwin told The Ticker that walk-up and lawn seating will be free at the summer concerts, all in the name of the “public good” and the organization’s mission to offer community enrichment. “Anyone who wants to come to see the symphony can do it for free,” Merwin said. “You can go get a meal nearby or go to Seven Monks for a beer and then come watch the show. It integrates us more directly into the community.”

To learn more, visit traversesymphony.org.