This year, the Music for All Summer Symposium Orchestra students piled into buses with their instruments, bound for Canan Commons, a park nestled in the hearts of Muncie’s Historical District. This event was the first in what we hope will become a long tradition of bringing music to the greater Muncie community.
The Orchestra students, under the direction of Music for All Orchestra Division Head and Ball State University Director of Orchestra, Doug Droste, performed for about half an hour in the bandstand overlooking a wide expanse of lawn dotted with picnic blankets, bouncing balls, hula hoops, and small kids playing in the grass. Along the outskirts of the lawn, colorful food trucks offered their wares to the hungry lunchtime crowd. Before long, the sound of orchestral strings wafted into the air.
Also present at the event was a bright purple tent staffed by people with the Muncie Symphony. They were offering an instrument petting zoo. Kids excitedly examined trumpets, trombones, and clarinets. This is a regular part of their outreach into downtown Muncie.
Events like this really bring the spirit of the Summer Symposium out into the community. Locals who don’t know about the wealth of talent and enthusiasm gathered at Ball State University this week will know before long.
