The stage, the recording, and the performance… all of these can impact people on a large scale, reaching those at the furthest points across the globe. But sometimes, the most beautiful examples of music are the subtle, personal, and less-publicized ones.
Leavenworth is a (relatively) small city in Kansas. It doesn’t typically make the headlines in music. But it’s possible for any place and time to add value… you just have to know where to look.
I hesitate to raise this issue, but I wonder if all the disparate groups that are presently involved in the arts in Leavenworth would be willing to work together to promote and support the arts by forming a committee or consortium or whatever it needs to be called. Personally, I would include groups such as those who paint, weave, dance, sing, play music, perform on stage, etc.
It is not that there is too much competition between the groups right now. I know that at least a few folks are already participating in several forms of the arts already. For example, it is not unusual for someone who is working with wood or who paints to also play an instrument. There are many ways for us to express ourselves through the arts and I believe that many individuals are actively involved in several forms on a regular basis.
At the least, many who are active in one form may also attend performances in another genre. For example, while I often work in fiber, I will sometimes attend live stage performances or go to live musical performances.
I believe that a reason for forming a consortium for the arts would be to strengthen the groups already practicing and to introduce new practitioners into the various folds that are possible.
For example, it would be possible for persons to perform live stage performances at the Heritage Center on the large stage that is available and, according to one informant associated with the River City Community Players, persons could perform a play by using a script that they read on stage. They still need to practice, of course, but not for the many hard hours that the RCCP must endure for one of their performances.
Such an activity would allow many community members to enjoy the challenge of performing on stage without undergoing the long hours of practice and memorization required for a normal stage performance. The Heritage Center could prepare a meal and the whole thing could be done as dinner theater for the evening, thus providing satisfaction for the players, the audience, while raising some funds.
Our local schools are also very active and do very well in all of the above and hopefully an arts consortium would provide a transition between school and post-school arts. In fact, such an organization could provide an outlet outside of school for students to get more exposure and experience. I have no doubt that it would also increase the communityís awareness of their programs.
For example, the Lions Club in Leavenworth regularly enjoys performances by various groups from Leavenworth High School at the weekly Thursday lunches. Unless you decide to attend a performance at the high school, the only other opportunity for many may be the exposure at a Lions’ lunch. In this way, more cross pollinating between activities helps the community learn about what is going on in the schools and certainly has a positive effect on the support from the community.
There are a lot of personalities involved in all these groups, but maybe it would be possible to get together on a regular basis to discuss how we can promote and support the arts in Leavenworth.
All of this above was written, not by a professional musician, but by a natural resource manager. At one point, this man may have been touched by music in a way that gives him the strength to stand up now and make his voice heard.
This story, from a place most people probably have never heard of, has much to teach all of the great cultural, artistic, and musical centers of the world. It doesn’t matter how great the virtuosic talent or how valuable the instruments… without the people, without the community, the soul of music cannot thrive.
You can read the original passage as it appeared in the Leavenworth Times.
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