Picking up an instrument isn’t just for the young; it is also for the young at heart, says Roy Ernst, founder of New Horizons International Music Association.
Ernst firmly believes music can connect people to their past and present, as well as touch the future through teaching others. It was the examples set by many inspirational teachers in his life that Ernst found his true passion – sharing his love of music with others, both young and old.
Roy Ernst
“Try to find time to teach adults. You will find it is the most pure form of teaching and learning,” he says.
Ernst spoke to about 510 graduates from the Faculty of Education and the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies at the June 12 morning session of Western’s 293rd Convocation.
Fifteen students who have successfully completed a master of education program with a special focus on Leadership for First Nations Schools also graduated Friday. Of the 15 graduates, nine are First Nations, one is Inuk and one is Métis.
This is believed to be the largest group of Aboriginal students to ever graduate en masse from a master’s program at a Canadian university.
The University of Western Ontario conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws upon Ernst in recognition of his contributions to lifelong learning, healthy aging and improving quality of life.
“Doing music is a very healthy activity for your mental ability,” he says. “It gives you an opportunity to be challenged … to be creative and to express feelings.”
Playing instruments is also an exercise in reading and fine motor skills, he adds.
He encouraged graduates, most of whom will pursue careers in education, to give students a “taste of the real thing,” or to learn by doing.
Ernst began his career in Michigan teaching instrumental music in elementary and secondary schools. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Wayne State University and a PhD from The University of Michigan.
He is a professor emeritus of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester where he taught for 25 years and chaired the music education department for 12 years. In 1991, he started the first New Horizons Band to emphasize the importance of music making for senior adults and to provide those interested with an opportunity to learn for the first time or be reintroduced to former talents.
The New Horizons Band served as a model for more than 100 similar programs in the United States and Canada. Western’s New Horizons Program currently serves approximately 200 people from the university and London community. Worldwide, the movement is expanding with current estimates of 8,000-10,000 participants involved.
Ernst continues to conduct at national and international New Horizons events.
Recognitions and honours to Ernst include the President’s Arts Achievement Award from Wayne State University; an Outstanding Educator Award from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; The Richard Snook Award from the Monroe County Music Educators; and recognition as one of the Grand Masters of Music Education by the Music Educators National Conference, the 85,000 member professional association for music educators.
In her citation, Associate Vice-Provost Carol Beynon (School of Graduate and Postdoctoral-Studies) says Ernst proves that learning is a lifelong process.
“Roy Ernst’s inspiration has changed so many people’s lives, creating a spirit of community, identity and camaraderie,” says Beynon. “Through music education, Ernst has demonstrated both the personal and the social value of lifelong learning. No one need be afraid of tackling new and complex skills, at any age.”
Beynon adds some 20 years ago, Ernst observed the increasing numbers of retired adults uninvolved in meaningful activities, or if they were involved, the activities did not stretch their creative or intellectual capacities.
Ernst felt involving seniors in musical instruction would build confidence, and in turn make them healthier – intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally.
“Learning to play a musical instrument requires both mental and manual skills, and for these reasons the conventional wisdom was that it must be reserved for the young,” says Beynon. “Professor Ernst challenged this notion by setting up instructional programs for older adults who would learn not only to master an instrument, but to play in musical ensembles.”