By Brady Lang

NBCK Band welcomes back familiar face

Sep 5, 2018 | 10:00 AM

The North Battleford City Kinsmen Band has a new but familiar face at the helm.

Michael Alstad was announced as the new director yesterday, his second stint with the NBCK Band. Alstad, who has been in Seattle for the last number of years, was also the director from 1992 to1999.

Alstad said in a press conference that the Battlefords are unique when it comes to the band program, and music in general. 

“For a community the size of the Battlefords, there is an overabundance of musical talent and musical interest,” he said. “You don’t usually find that in communities this size. This isn’t going to happen next week, but over time there is a real opportunity to look and think of this as a centre of music for the community.”

When looking back at his career, Alstad said he really wanted to focus on making the NBCK Band a hotbed for musical talent. His ideology stems back to the first time he was the director in North Battleford in 1992.

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“It was the beginning of an interesting journey in community music,” he said. “I had been a school band director prior to that time. When I came here and had the opportunity to work in a community setting, it was something really different. You were able to see the fruition of what happens as children start in school and gain skills. What happens is they become adults, and (seeing) what they do with those skills.”

During his time away from the Battlefords, Alstad taught at a music centre in Seattle. Originally, he went to Eastern Washington University and it was there where he received both a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Arts in Music Education. Alstad said he is excited to be back in a community setting and bringing back what he learned along the way to the Battlefords.

“As I met people in the community, you get to look and see how important it is as they learn and make music is as adults,” he said. “It’s really a powerful experience to me. I’ve spent the last 25 years really understanding that more, how music fuels our lives. It’s exciting for me to come back here after having that experience in a few other places, and meeting people from around the world doing the same sorts of things, being able to bring that back to our community.”

Registration night for the NBCK Band is on Monday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. It is open to all ages in the beginner, intermediate, senior and student categories.

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB