Prior to their performance at the Performing Arts Center on January 13, New Basics Brass Band will perform in local schools for students. They describe their sound as “Sousaphone-Powered Feel-Good Music.”
The group will arrive a few days early and visit elementary schools in the Dover, New Philadelphia and Tuscarawas Central Catholic school districts for in-school assemblies. On Saturday, New Basics Brass Band will lead a workshop at the PAC for local band students. New Philadelphia, Tusky Valley and Dover high schools along with the Kent State University at Tuscarawas band students will participate in the afternoon workshop and then have the opportunity to perform with New Basics on the Saturday evening show at the PAC.
“We’ve done this same formula with a cappella groups visiting local schools and then working with high school choirs the past two years,” explained David Mitchell, general manager of the Performing Arts Center. “We wanted to offer the same experience of interacting, learning and performing with professional musicians to band students in the area.”
Indian Valley High School choir students have participated the past two years with the a cappella groups. Their teacher, Melanie Glazer, spoke of their experiences. “The workshop helped the students improve their singing style, and the performance helped with their confidence. They loved singing on the stage at the PAC, and every time they talk about it I can feel the energy of that night. I liked that the singers got to spend time with the groups in rehearsal and got to be onstage for as long as they were during the performance.”
When asked about the impact the school visits had on his students, Troy Page, principal at Port Washington Elementary School said, “Our students and staff were extremely fortunate to have Cadence come to our school and perform. Many of our students may never have the opportunity to see a professional performance, so we were thrilled to have Mr. Mitchell contact us to see if we could make it happen.”
New Basics Brass Band seamlessly blends New Orleans traditional jazz, marching band heroics and funk bravado. After hundreds of live shows, four studio albums, and recording with legends like Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Bootsy Collins, New Basics Brass Band is in prime form. They have done what few bands succeed in doing – enduring for 23 years. And while navigating the ebbs and flows and twists and turns, they have remained excited to do what they've done since day one: sharing Sousaphone-Powered Feel-Good Music.
Additional support for the educational outreach activities was received from the Tuscarawas County Community Foundation, the Dover Exchange Club and the Dover-New Philadelphia Kiwanis Club.
Tickets for New Basics Brass Band start at $33 and are on sale now at the Performing Arts Center box office, 330.308.6400 or online at www.kent.edu/tusc/pac. The box office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Performing Arts Center’s 2017-2018 Season is sponsored by Michael Taylor Insurance and Financial Incorporated, an Allstate Agency.
Free parking is available for all shows. Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Dr. NE in New Philadelphia.