UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State School of Music’s music education department at the College of Arts and Architecture will host its second Middle School Band Day on Monday, Oct. 6, bringing together local middle school musicians, their teachers, and Penn State students for a day of collaboration and performance.
The initiative, facilitated by Linda Thornton, Penn State music education professor, is designed to give Penn State music education majors real-world teaching experience while also supporting band programs in the community. In preparation for the culminating concert on Oct. 6, Penn State students in the elementary/middle school band emphasis class are leading before-school rehearsals at Bellefonte Middle School (Sept. 22 and 29) and Our Lady of Victory Middle School (Sept. 24 and Oct. 1).
This year’s participating teachers include Brenna (Bixler) Packard, a 2011 Penn State music education graduate who now teaches at Bellefonte Middle School, and Sandy Muller, OLV’s band director and a longtime supporter of Penn State’s Partners in Music initiative. Muller has brought her students to participate in Partners in Music for more than a decade.
Five Penn State students are currently enrolled in the emphasis class: four who will begin student teaching in the spring semester and one new graduate student from Jackson State University. Following Middle School Band Day, the group will quickly transition to preparing for the School of Music’s Partners in Music program, which pairs Penn State students with elementary musicians for extended teaching and conducting experiences.
Penn State music education faculty and staff have provided strong support for the event, with several faculty offering their own classrooms to allow rehearsals to take place in Esber Rehearsal Room. The Pasquerilla Spiritual Center also has generously offered space for sectional rehearsals.
Middle School Band Day highlights the School of Music’s commitment to community engagement and hands-on teacher preparation. By creating opportunities for collaboration between Penn State students, faculty, and local band programs, the initiative helps cultivate the next generation of music educators while enriching the musical lives of young performers in central Pennsylvania.