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From
the April 13, 2006, edition of “Northwest This Week.”
The members of an early Northwest ensemble pose with their instruments
in 1917.
The following is excerpted
from “Transitions: A Hundred Years of Northwest” by
Dr. Janice Brandon-Falcone. An illustrated history of the University’s
first 100 years, “Transitions” is available from the
Bearcat Bookstore on the first floor of the J.W. Jones Student
Union. The book can also be purchased online at www.nwmissouri.bkstore.com
or by calling (660) 562-1246 (ext. 1246 on campus).
From the beginning, music was an integral
part of campus life, and as the school grew and matured into the
Teachers College, the opportunities to make and hear music grew
as well. A men’s quartet formed in the 1920s, as did a women’s
Glee Club, an orchestra, a women’s sextet, a chorus, and
a string quartet. A Music Week featured performances every evening
of orchestra, chorus, and community bands.
Once the Conservatory of Music merged with
the Teachers College, the Music Department sponsored annual events,
often in the form of an opera or operetta in the early years.
Membership in the chorus, orchestra, or glee club carried credit,
but many joined for pleasure.
Faculty joined in the experience of
making music. By 1933, the yearbook featured a picture of a new
musical group, simply called the band. This band was clearly associated
with supporting assemblies and sporting events. It has played
a big part in creating school spirit, noted the 1933 “Tower.”
In 1937, the Dance Band filled another student need – the
popularity of dancing. If the 1938 “Tower” is any
indication, making music was popular during the Depression of
the 1930s. Not only was there a dance band for social events,
a marching band for athletic events, and an orchestra for symphonic
events, there also existed a chorus, an a cappella choir, a men’s
quartet, a string trio, and a women’s vocal trio. Even during
the war years, with many men gone, music groups formed, practiced,
marched, and entertained. In 1944, however, “Tower”
announced that the “Music Department was limited this year
because it had no boys.”
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