Starkville-MSU Community Band wraps Spring season
The community focused band gives every member a chance to shine, no matter the skill level or background of the player.
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY, Miss. (WCBI) – Music fills the Kent Sills Band Hall as the Starkville-MSU Community Band performs its final show of the Spring.
The band’s director, Johnny Folsom, said the diverse makeup of the band is what makes it special.
“Play what you can, not what you can’t,” Folsom said. “And if you see some things that you don’t feel comfortable with let it go by, and it works. We’ve got enough folks that can cover the parts that we laugh, we have fun.”
Natalya Usachenko, an Alto Saxophone player, said the low stakes are part of what is appealing about the band.
“The fact that it’s low stakes and we’re here to have fun is one of the most charming things about it,” Usachenko said. “When you’re in this space, you never feel like you don’t belong. You can come in with any amount of experience and feel like you have a place in the band.”
A couple of those people who have a place in the band are Jed Smart and his daughter.
Smart said playing with his daughter is something special.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing in the band,” Smart said. “But now I get to play with her, and that’s something I didn’t really think I’d ever have the opportunity to do. So, it’s special to me. She may think it’s not a big deal, but it’s a pretty big deal to me.”
Folsom said the band is a place for people who thought they may never play in a band again.
“Sometimes you have to twist people’s arms, but once they come, they come back,” Folsom said. “They are hooked.”
Like Smart who commutes from Alabama just to take part in the fun.
“It’s a great thing that they have this to offer,” Smart said. “We drive over an hour to come over here for practices and for the concert and we do that because it’s a great opportunity that we don’t necessarily have in our small community.”
The next Starkville-MSU Community Band concert will be on October 2nd.
