Faye Rader

Rader's "Band Buddies" is a mentoring project that gives young musicians an adult music "buddy" to help with instrumental technique, creative writing, musical composition, and concert etiquette. Students are paired with members of the North Star Community Band, a 65-member adult concert band dedicated to the continuance of music education. The program is unique because it links students and adults of diverse ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Musical education is relatively new at the school and most students cannot afford private music lessons or tickets to band concerts. Through the program, students set short and long-term performance goals through daily rehearsals and concert preparation and performance.