The musical community of Lacombe wants you to take a break.
A musical break that is. On the fourth Friday of the month, Pause Musicale invites you to enjoy a half hour musical concert at St. Andrew’s United Church.
Pause Musicale is an initiative from Lacombe Music Teachers Association (LMTA), a group of private music teachers.
Melrose Randell, coordinator for Pause Musicale, said that the idea behind the program is twofold.
“The idea is to give our students in Lacombe and district the opportunity to perform and provide some entertainment,” she said.
Music students of all ages and levels participate in Pause Musicale concerts.
Ten-year-old beginner voice students right up to advanced musicians studying music at the Canadian University College take part in the program from time to time, said Randell.
Pause Musicale is also as enjoyable for the students as it is for the audience.
Randell said that the small concerts are a great experience, especially for younger students.
“We see on their faces how happy they are at their success of getting up and performing in front of people.”
Having music students perform at the small lunchtime concerts as part of Pause Musicale is a great way of preparing them for future endeavors in their musical careers.
They learn stage etiquette (such as how to bow and how to acknowledge an accompanist) and get used to playing in front of an audience.
Randell said that it is important for students to practice doing these things now, especially for those who wish to get more serious with their music in the future. “Eventually some of them are going to become the professional performers.”
According to Randell, music is important for the development of a human being. She said it gives people a venue to express themselves and communicate with others.
She added that those who are involved with music tend to be outgoing individuals who want to share with the community.
There are academic benefits to learning music as well.
Students can earn high school credits by successfully completing musical exams and Randell added that she has seen the school grades of her music students improve as a result of studying music.
She also stressed the importance of musical education in schools.
“It is unfortunate that in the schools, when there is a cut in the budget, they tend to cut the arts.”
She also stressed the importance of the arts in school and likened it to physical activity, which she said is also critical to human development.
Pause Musicale is a small, half-hour musical concert that is held at St. Andrew’s United Church the fourth Friday of every month.
The program runs from October to May with the exception of December and March.
Randell said the LMTA is thankful to St. Andrew’s United Church for providing them with a free venue to hold the Pause Musicale concerts.
LMTA is comprised of about 12 music teachers who together have upwards of 150 students from the Lacombe area, Randell said.
She added that the association encourages any and all music teachers in Lacombe and area to join.
“Together we can build music education and support one another.”