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Monetary donations being accepted for "Music in Mexico" project

By Elizabeth Child
February 13, 2004

The St. Olaf Band recently donated an entire ensemble's worth of band instruments -- from flutes and piccolos to trombones and saxophones -- to the 3,000-person village of San Miguel Tzincapan so that it could realize a long-held dream of striking up its own concert band.

The instruments were officially presented during the St. Olaf Band's winter tour, which took the ensemble to Mexico this year.

The village has not been able to afford the instruments needed to form a concert band. Hearing of their dream, the St. Olaf community and friends rallied to make the instrument donations, collecting 50 new or "nearly new" instruments for the village.

Delivering the instruments would be of little value without music instruction. So three recent St. Olaf music education graduates volunteered to spend the next four months in Mexico to teach the youths of San Miguel to play the instruments.

"Sharing the gift of music is one of the best ways we can think of to bridge cultures," Erickson says. "We hope that the St. Olaf Band's tour and donations will be the beginning of a long-term relationship, broadening global awareness for our students and the people of San Miguel."

The public is invited to make donations to support St. Olaf's "Making Music in Mexico" education project. Please contact Associate Director of Music Organizations Richard Erickson at 507-645-3614 or ericksor@stolaf.edu

Contact Elizabeth Child at 507-645-0119 or ec@elizabethchild.com.