The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra (A2SO) has donated a number of music supplies to the Ypsilanti Community High School Band. The A2SO is dedicated to supporting our community and education initiatives. A2SO Board Member and Vice President of Education & Engagement Jeffrey McKelvey met with Scott Hawkins, Director of Bands at Ypsilanti Community High School, to deliver the donation.
The donation to the Ypsilanti Community High School band includes a variety of accessories. This includes reeds, mouthpieces, valve oil, cleaning supplies, percussion accessories, and more for students to use. At the start of the school year, Scott personally delivered instruments to individual band members to help them continue practicing and learning during remote learning. He hopes to distribute these supplies before the end of the school year. This way, students will be able to continue practicing and playing over the summer.
“I am so thankful for the communication and support from the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra,” says Scott. “It is great to hear from outside organizations that are checking into the wellbeing of local school music programs. There is a long road ahead to piece music programs back together after a global pandemic. The supplies we are receiving will greatly aid our current and prospective students. I am hoping we can build a partnership into the future that ensures an equitable band experience for our students in Ypsilanti.”
McKelvey shares a love of music and wants to ensure all students are able to continue their practice. “I wholeheartedly support the Ann Arbor Symphony and the Ypsilanti school music program because music education is important for students,” McKelvey says in the press release. “The world we live in today places primary importance on addressing the questions of how things work and why things work – How to scientifically quantify the world around us. I believe how we feel about this world and the tools we have to express these feelings are just as primary to the human experience.”
The A2SO is a premier regional orchestra that creates live, orchestral music for 70,000 listeners each year. They engage the community through innovative concert programming at the Michigan Theater and Hill Auditorium. They also engage the community via education programs, radio, recordings, numerous community concerts, and online streaming activity.
To see more from the A2SO, check out their website.
