High Point musicians sought for new community band

Aug. 4—HIGH POINT — By this fall, High Point should have its own community band, thanks to a unique partnership between the High Point Arts Council and the music department at Guilford Technical Community College.

The band, which will consist of GTCC students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the greater High Point community, will practice and perform at Centennial Station Arts Center, headquarters of the arts council.

"We don't have a large ensemble for woodwinds, brass and percussion," said Larry Spell, GTCC music instructor and assistant professor of creative and performing arts. "Students who are going to pursue a music education degree will be working with (concert) bands in their profession."

The biggest roadblock for a larger performance group at GTCC had been the lack of a large enough space, not just for performance but also for housing and storage of equipment and instruments.

Enter Allie Arpajian and the High Point Arts Council.

"I met Larry, and he was talking about the real lack of community ensembles, that there were not a lot of places where people can plug in and play," said Arpajian, executive director of the arts council. "One of my hopes had been to create an ensemble. Larry had, in a previous role, created an ensemble. We had an awesome space. It all seemed like a natural fit."

Spell will be the music director for the band, which will be called the Titan Civic Band, a nod to GTCC's Titan athletic teams. He said he expects the band to have somewhere between 30 and 50 musicians initially.

"We want to build it gradually," he said.

Weekly rehearsals will begin soon and will be held Wednesdays, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Centennial Station. Performances could be scheduled as soon as October, according to Spell.

If you play a musical instrument — at an intermediate or advanced skill level — and would like to become a member of the Titan Civic Band, visit https://forms.gle/11svRJuKr1BRBEZc7 or email Spell at lsspell@gtcc.edu.