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The cases are packed with instruments en route to Brazil.
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Wind Ensemble to Brazil for Spring Break Tour

March 5, 2010

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MACOMB, IL - - From Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, a full eight days of performing, soaking up Brazilian culture, taking and giving lessons and leaving a quarter-ton of instruments for underprivileged children – that's the Spring Break 2010 lineup for the Western Illinois University Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

WIU Director of Bands and Symphonic Wind Ensemble Director Mike Fansler has arranged the exchange, with the assistance of Western alumnus (1976) and Alumni Achievement Award recipient Doug Adair, who lives and works in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

"As an international traveler, I value my experiences so much that it's important to me to offer similar opportunities to my students," said Fansler. "I'm really looking forward to watching and hearing the reactions of first-time travelers as they step off the plane into an unfamiliar country."

Students will perform, teach and learn. At one university the Wind Ensemble will receive a hands-on clinic on Afro-Brazilian drumming, then students with marching band experience will offer a clinic on American marching band techniques, Fansler added.

Western's students will be able to perform with professional Afro-Brazilian musicians and, thanks to a recording session, have a lasting product of their collaboration. Salvador public radio will air the performance, giving some of the students their first exposure through a foreign broadcaster.

The Wind Ensemble will also offer the gift of music to disadvantaged children, with some 500 pounds of donated instruments from places including Nauvoo (IL) Junior High School, Ottawa (IL), Geneseo (IL), Milwaukee (WI), East Amherst, (NY), and Kidder Instrument, as well as a couple hundred pounds of methods books. WIU students will give the children lessons on the instruments.

"In our advanced music education courses, my students and I practice mock-teaching, instructing how we would with beginning instrumentalists. Soon, many of these same students will not only have the opportunity to teach beginners in a real setting, they will have the added challenge of doing so with children who speak a different language," said Fansler.

A complete itinerary of the upcoming trip, including photos, bios and blogs of students and staff, and video is available at http://onthebeatbrazil.wordpress.com. This site is added to daily, and there will daily new postings by blog administrator Abby Rhodes - - including video taken by University Television Production Coordinator Philip Weiss - - throughout the trip.

Joining Fansler, Rhodes and Weiss as staff members are WIU Associate Band Director Shawn Vondran; Ken Fansler, assistant dean of engineering technology, Illinois State; Dr. David Miller of Macomb, also a Western alumnus; and Chad Walker, instrument repair.

Students participating are listed by Illinois county and town, as well as two students from Iowa.

ADAMS COUNTY
Quincy (62305) – Emily Hart, freshman, music performance

CARROLL COUNTY
Mount Carroll (61053) – Gabrielle Lewis, sophomore, music education; Andrea Todd, sophomore, music education; Jessica Todd, senior, music education

COOK COUNTY
Des Plaines (60016) – Nicholas Steffan, freshman, music performance
Mt. Prospect (60056) – Timothy Holl, sophomore, law enforcement and justice administration

DuPAGE COUNTY
Naperville (60517) – Kurt Makaryk, senior, music education; Samuel Page, sophomore, music; Meredith Roche, senior, music education
Lombard (60148) – Michael Schraft, senior history major
Woodridge (60517) – Katherine Massa, senior, music performance
Wheaton (60187) – John Walton III, senior, music, along with his parents John and Gail Walton

FULTON COUNTY
Canton (61520) – Timothy Horr, sophomore music education; Rachel Van Middlesworth, sophomore, music education

HANCOCK COUNTY
Nauvoo (62354) – Chris Haas, sophomore, music; Karen Sanders, senior, music performance

HENRY COUNTY
Colona (61241) – Cassandra Smith, junior, elementary education
Geneseo (61254) – Allison Scherer, senior, musical theatre; and her father, Steven Scherer, a WIU music alumnus (1985) and Geneseo High School band director

KANE COUNTY
N. Aurora (60542) – Brett Hartigan, junior, music education

KNOX COUNTY
Galesburg (61401) - Erin Alderson, graduate student in music education

LA SALLE COUNTY
Ottawa (61350) – Darcie Fleming, freshman, music

McDONOUGH COUNTY
Macomb (61455) – Kathleen McGowan, senior, music performance; Alexandra Brown O'Donnell, freshman, music education

PEORIA COUNTY (Note: all graduates of Peoria Richwoods High School)
Peoria (61615) – Nicole Dobyns, junior, recreation, park, tourism administration; Abby Chien, junior, applied music; Brian Newell, junior, music performance

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY (Note: all graduates of United Twp High School)
East Moline (61244) –Robert Palmer, senior, music composition
Moline (61265) – Amber Dean, senior, music performance; Yvonne Dean, senior, music performance
Silvas (61282) – Jacob Eastman, junior, music education major; Michael Taylor, freshman, communication

SANGAMON COUNTY
Williamsville (62693) – Kyle Traeger, freshman, music

TAZEWELL COUNTY
Creve Coeur (61610) – Cody Sheldon, sophomore, music education

WILL COUNTY
New Lenox (60451) – Michael Hankosky, senior, music

WOODFORD COUNTY
Germantown Hills (61548) – Adam Brostowitz, junior, music education

IOWA
Burlington (52601) – Tianna Streeter, graduate student in instrument performance
W. Burlington (52655) – Brady Schach, sophomore, musical performance

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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