Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the Celtic Concerts last week.  We had a great audience both nights, and I enjoyed meeting many of you.  Those of you who came to the Tuesday show will be interested to know that I managed to keep my shoes on for the entire concert on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t easy.  I think hitting my 40th birthday has done something strange to my feet.  They are no longer cooperating with my desire to wear beautiful heels!   But the music was fun, and the band really enjoyed presenting these concerts for the community. 

Thanks again to “Kindred Spirits” for their performance, and also to David Spurlock, our guest performer on bagpipes.  And thank you once again to all the musicians and volunteers who contribute their time and effort to make these concerts happen.  It couldn’t be done without all of you.  As usual, it was my pleasure to have the opportunity to make music with the MMB.

Keep an eye on our calendar page (http://melbournemunicipalband.org/category/events/) for upcoming events.

The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB) in conjunction with the Melbourne Police Athletic League (PAL) is holding its 3rd Summer Youth Band Music Program from July 5, 2010 thru July 29, 2010.  The program is open to all students currently enrolled in 6th-9th grades who want to learn to play or already play a musical instrument.  It will be 4 days a week (Monday thru Thursday) from 9 AM to 11 AM.  Each student will receive a 50 minute group lesson with a qualified teacher on his or her instrument and also will be part of a band.

The summer music program will be held at Melbourne High School, 74 Bulldog Blvd., Melbourne.  There will be a concert on the final day of the program, July 29th at 6:00 PM at the Melbourne Civic Auditorium, 625 E. Hibiscus Blvd., Melbourne.  We ask parents to bring a covered dish to share at the conclusion of the concert.  Drinks will be provided by the Melbourne Municipal Band.

The students attend the program free of charge.  The cost of the lesson book and the first month rental of the instrument for those students beginning a new instrument will be paid for.  Parents or Guardians are responsible for the rental after the first month.  The rental of the instrument is applied toward the purchase of the instrument.

If you have an instrument in your home that your son or daughter would like to play, please take it to one of the music stores listed to make sure it is in good working order.

Rental information is available for the following music stores:

Rentals will be directly through the music stores.  Lesson books will be given to the students on the first day of the summer program.

If you are interested, you can download the registration form for the Summer Youth Band.  Please fill it out and return it by Friday, June 25, 2010 to the address on the form.

If you have any questions about the Summer Youth Band Program, please call 321-956-2283 or email Art Martin at artmartin27@gmail.com.

Audio of Terri Wright’s interview with Staci Cleveland

I enjoyed meeting Terri Wright, General Manager of WFIT, this week.  We recorded an interview concerning the Celtic Concerts for their “Coastal Connections” segment which will air on Friday, February 12 at 8:30 a.m. and at 5:30 p.m.  You can click on the link above to hear the interview any time you like.   If you want to listen to WFIT live or just check out their website,  go to www.wfit.org. 

To view the flyer, click on the link below.

Celtic Concert Flyer

Good news…Pipe Major of the City of Melbourne, David Spurlock, will be on hand at the Melbourne Municipal Band’s performance of “A Celtic Concert” on February 16 & 17.  He will set the Celtic mood for us and get our concert started with a performance on his bagpipes. 

Don’t forget to arrive by 6:45 p.m. to hear a performance by a local Celtic band, ”Kindred Spirits.”  This event is free and no tickets are required.  See you there!