The University of Chicago reported, “Music can stimulate new connections in our brains; keeping our cognitive abilities sharp and our memories alive.”
New Horizons Bloomington is doing just that. The orchestra teaches adults how to play an instrument in a group. The instruments they teach are “violin, viola, cello, or bass.”
Participants will also learn, “the basics of playing their instrument, how to read music, and how to play with others in an ensemble.”
The group is a part of Jacobs Academy and costs $175 to join. The orchestra practices at the Bell Trace Senior Living Community every Monday. Rehearsals started on September 18th and end on December 11th.
New Horizons is run by directors Andrea Kleesattle and Audrey Jo Williams. Kleesattle teaches cello, while Williams teaches violin, cello, and bass. Faculty member Danielle Girard also teaches violin.
Kleesattle talks about her favorite parts of teaching New Horizons
Kleesattel has worked in orchestras in Japan and in the United States. She also is a “Suzuki teacher with training in Dalcroze and movement practices.” Girard is a Ph.D. student at the Jacob School of Music. She is studying music education and has worked in orchestras and chambers in “Atlantic Canada”. In Canada, Girard also worked as a teacher.
Williams has been teaching for more than a decade and has worked with many different ages and “skill levels.” She also works with the Bloomington Symphony.
Many students in the orchestra previously took music lessons with Williams before attending New Horizons.
Williams talks about her favorite parts of teaching her students and working with the orchestra.
One student of New Horizons builds his own instruments. David Cole plays the cello that he built. He first started by building a violin. Cole learned to construct and repair violins from a class he took at the School of Music.
Cole decided to join New Horizons because he started taking cello lessons.
“But with the situation with the pandemic and everything, that sort of went away and so this sort of thing became an opportunity. I was walking through the farmers market in Bloomington one day and our leader Andrea was there and she was advertising this so I took a flier,” said Cole.
Cole's instrument while he was building it.
Cole's instrument while he was building it.
The finished instrument Cole built.
According to Levine’s Music, people’s brains are able to adjust over time with a process called “neuroplasticity” and “studies show that adults can promote neuroplasticity by engaging in physical exercise, paying attention, and learning new things.”
According to Penn Medicine, there are differences between an adult learner and a child learner. Older adults who learn to study music later have better “memory, verbal fluency, the speed at which they process information, planning ability, and other cognitive functions, as compared with those who had not received lessons.”
Penn Medicine also reported that “playing an instrument may be one of the best ways to help keep the brain healthy.”
New Horizons also offers a summer retreat. The retreat is for advanced students. Students who are looking to take the class have to meet the “proficiency level” that is outlined on the website. The dates for the 2024 session are not out yet.
The retreat will also offer the musicians, “string orchestra, chamber groups, masterclasses and extracurricular activities such as hiking, yoga, conducting, music theory/history, movement, s’mores and more.”
