Community Summer Band

Make Music and Enrich the Community

Celebrating its 53rd season, the Ferris Community Summer Band is the summer version of Ferris State University’s West Central Concert Band. Adults, students from Ferris State University, local high school students and advanced middle school students gather for a series of weekly musical escapades. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings in the Music Center. One or two concerts are presented later in the week throughout the greater Big Rapids area in local parks, the Canadian Lakes Castle and the Big Rapids Band Shell. Each week will feature a different program, making for a rich musical venture for our performing musicians and for our friends, family and neighbors who come to hear us!

2019 Schedule

Explore our photo gallery to learn more about our past performances.

General Participation

The Ferris Community Summer Band is open to all area adults, college students, high school students and advanced middle school students with band experience. Musically inclined friends and relatives visiting in town this summer are also welcome even if they cannot attend the rehearsal.

In order to perform in concert, attendance at the rehearsal beforehand is expected. If you can make all rehearsals and concerts, great! If not, you are welcome to participate in as many weekly outings with us as you can. To participate, either contact director Scott Cohen in advance at (231) 591-2484 or [email protected], or simply come to the next rehearsal that best fits your schedule.

Rehearsals

Mondays 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Music Center 108

Guidelines for Community Members

We invite all community members who will be in town this summer to participate in Summer Band! Of course, we would be delighted for you to be at all rehearsals and concerts. If you are unable to make them all, then my preference is to invite you to perform for all of the concerts for which you can also attend the preceding rehearsal. Please note that local high school students and advanced middle school students are welcome to join us! And if you have musically inclined friends or relatives visiting in town this summer, please bring them along, too—even if they are unable to attend the weekly rehearsal.

Guidelines for Ferris State University Students (Music 160)

We invite all Ferris students who will be in town this summer to participate in Summer Band! If you would like to take Summer Band for credit, you may do so by signing up for Music 160: Symphony Band but ONLY if you will be able to make ALL rehearsals and ALL concerts. A course syllabus is available and will be distributed at the first rehearsal.

If you are able to only make some or most rehearsals and concerts but not all, OR if you are already at the credit limit, OR if you just prefer not to take it for credit, you may still participate under the general participation guidelines, as described above.

To register for credit, Ferris students should register for Music 160: Symphony Band, which is the official catalog listing for Summer Band. This class is initially open to all students. Upon arriving to campus (either before or after classes have started), new students will do a Playing Interview for the Director.

Playing Interview

A Playing Interview is a no-pressure, informal chance for the Director to listen to and assess the abilities of all students. This insures that students have the basic skill levels to perform in a college band and to help them begin in the appropriate band or bands.

Scholarships

Activity-Based Scholarships are NOT available in the Summer. They are available during the Fall and Spring semesters.

For More Information

Dr. R. Scott Cohen, Director
Music Center 103
(231) 591-2484
[email protected]