It's a scene reminiscent of a middle school band classroom. Small groups of flutes, saxophones and trumpets — and even a lone bassoon — rehearsing classics such as "Ode to Joy," "The Music Man" and "Heart and Soul."
The difference, though, is that the people behind the instruments aren't adolescents — many of these musicians are old enough to be grandparents.
They are members of the MSU Community Music School New Horizons Band, a chapter of a nationwide program that teaches people older than 50 how to play concert band instruments.
The East Lansing section of the New Horizons program is taught by Holt resident Patti Kroth with the help of students in the MSU School of Music's Teaching Instrumental Music class.
Music education senior Eric Flack said the class helps students see music education from a new point of view.
"It's a really different perspective, but it's a ton of fun," he said.
Mitch Robinson, who teaches the MSU music class, said he wants his students to immerse themselves in the New wHorizons Band.
"It's much more interactive than going to an elementary school," he said. "The goal here is that we transfer what we learn here with seniors to young students."
The New Horizons Band began in 1991 in Rochester, N.Y., where Kroth was a graduate student in the mid-1980s. In 2003, the MSU Community Music School started its own New Horizons Band.
Now the group is composed of 35 to 40 students, depending on how many members migrate south for the winter, Kroth said.
Beth Hubbell, one of the 14 original members in 2003, said the students have helped redevelop her clarinet skills.
"We've gotten a lot of good ideas, new techniques. We've learned to do a lot on our own," she said. "(The students) bring enthusiasm and new ideas, and they're really a lot of fun."
The interactions between MSU students and residents during the teaching process create an interesting dynamic, Kroth said.
"I think it's really uncomfortable for the students at first, but after a very short while, it gets a lot more comfortable," she said, adding that the New Horizons musicians "are really open to it."
Though nobody will confuse New Horizons with the Boston Pops, Kroth said the journey is more important than the final product.
"Personally, I think it's really satisfying for people to find joy and to better the quality of their life," she said.
