::General Band Club Information

::The University of St. Thomas Band Club falls into UST's categorization as a "Special Interest Club." What this means is that the university will support both by name and financially the functioning of this club. The rest of this page describes in detail the activities and goals of the Band Club, please read on.

::Goals of the Band Club

::There are several major goals of the band club: to provide service to St. Thomas and its surrounding community, to push youth involvement in music in local and not-so-local school districts, to fundraise for the yearly tour that UST Bands take, and to have fun. These goals are achieved through several activites that the club participates in.

::In both the fall and spring semesters, the club participates in the Alumni Association's "Community Cleanup" events. In this project, groups of about seven members each scatter throughout the local community and rake yards (and clean gutters, etc.) for elderly community members who would not get it done otherwise. There is also an annual Mississippi River cleanup project that the club may participate in depending on concert schedule and other conflicts.

::The push for youth involvement is a goal for any musician. Last year Dr. Douglas Orzolek, head of the Music Education department, took a group of Band Club members to a small southern Minnesota town. He and the students spent the day at the town's one school working with music students of ages ranging from kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade seniors. The goal of this trip was to show these students that there is a future for their musical talents as both a profession or a hobby. This is something that students in some small towns sometimes never get a chance to hear or see. The St. Thomas students who participated in this event came out of this experience with much more than an extra day's homework to catch up on for the classes they missed. For the music education students who participated, they were introduced to a small town music program. For the music hobbiests who participated, they received the joy of sharing a talent that many do not have. The club and department attempt to plan at least one trip like this every year.

::During each school year, the clubs spends a fair amount of time fundraising for the annual UST Bands tour. In the past the band has traveled to many places including Cuba, Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia, and all over the United States. This year the band will be traveling to the west coast then up into Canada. Like any trip, this one is not free and each member is responsible for paying a considerable amount of money. The Band Club helps members lessen this amount by organizing fund raising events. In the past the club has worked consession stands, washed cars, and sold books, magazines, and food. The projects are different each year depending on availability.

::While there is a long list of service activities, fund raising events and other "things" the Band Club participates in, the main purpose for the club is to have fun. The club allows the members to meet friends and have a good time. Some of the best friendships start in an environment like this.

::Band Club Membership

::The membership of the band club is made up primarily of UST Concert Band members. While the majority of members actively participate in musical ensembles at UST, this is not a requirement for Band Club membership. Club members study a wide range of subjects from music, art, or theater to computer science and math.