STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA – The Oklahoma State University Community Music School launched its services in the fall of 2017. The school, directed by Meredith Blecha-Wells, offers youth programs ranging from choir to orchestra to a Suzuki Strings program offering instruction in violin and cello. 

It is open to students between the ages of 4-18, teaching the importance of music in our society. OSU Community Music School offers a youth choir for students to sing quality music from a variety of eras and styles. The youth orchestra is directed by Julia Haley. It also offers a youth orchestra, as students can participate in a full symphony consisting of strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion sections. OSU faculty member Thomas Taylor Dickey conducts the youth orchestra.

The Suzuki Strings program offers instruction in violin and cello and is intended for students as young as 4. Students and their parents attend both private and group lessons. This program embraces the philosophy that every child can learn, with parents serving as home teachers throughout the week. 

“OSU’s new community music school is a natural fit for the college and the extended community,” Howard Potter, department head of the Greenwood School of Music. “It will serve our Greenwood School of Music students by giving them the opportunity to develop their teaching skills under faculty mentorship. The community music school will make these world-class expert faculty available to students of all ages in the region.”

Spring audition dates for next fall will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit https://www.communitymusicschool.okstate.edu/.