Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
MANAGING EDITOR
It is not just the musically inclined that are brought together by a strong passion for the musical arts.
Friends of Music members are brought together by the same passion.
The sole purpose of this non-profit organization, which began in the 1960s, is to help Eastern New Mexico University music students.
Friends of Music members are diverse, according to ENMU Music Department chair Dustin Seifert, who said the organization entails Portales and Clovis residents, ENMU faculty and administrators and airmen from Cannon Air Force Base.
Friends of Music President Patrice Caldwell said there are members like Brian Uerling, a Ranchvale Elementary music teacher from Clovis, who knows the in and outs of music, then there are those who just love the art.
“We also have people like me who took piano lessons for 12 years, and we have people like Kathleen Salter, who says she has no musical talent whatsoever, but she just loves music,” Caldwell said. “She goes to all the performances and is a wonderful supporter. It’s true of all of them that they have a special connection or appreciation of the arts. It’s a nice sort of music family.”
Seifert said without the organization many of the scholarships for ENMU music students would not exist.
“It’s essentially a very well organized booster club for the music department and their students,” Seifert said. “The Friends of Music organization funds over $10,000 in scholarships annually. For a civic organization, that’s very impressive.”
Seifert said that is the main aspect the organization funds for the music department, but Friends of Music also helps pay to bring in all of the guest performers that come to ENMU.
“It’s amazing to me to see the talent that university has in its music department, and it makes it well worth investing in,” Uerling said. “To be able to hear the quality of vocalist and musician those students are able to hear is amazing.”
Uerling added that people would otherwise have to drive to Lubbock or Amarillo to hear such a good quality of music.
“In addition to the scholarship funding, these people form a core audience for all of our performances, so they not only support our organization financially, but they offer emotional support to our students as well,” said Seifert of the group.
The group’s main fundraiser each year is its annual POPS concert, which is approaching on Nov. 14.
“It’s always kind of been the event of the season for us,” Caldwell said of the concert, which has its attendees dress up and have dinner as well as enjoying and dancing to live music.
““It was so successful, they just continued the tradition,” said of the concert, which has been going since the organization was founded. “It’s been a remarkably successful tradition.”
Caldwell said members of Friends of Music are so passionate about their cause, that it is a board where everyone plays an active part, and everyone takes a part in planning the POPS concert.
“They really love the arts and this is an extension of that very strong commitment,” Caldwell said of members. “It’s a dwindling crowd unfortunately. Schools, because of cutbacks, have had to cut back their music programs, so we’re very fortunate to have support like this.”
Uerling said he, indeed, picks and chooses what he volunteers for.
“I pick and choose my volunteer activities very carefully, because I have my job at the school and I teach private lessons,” he said. “But the friends of music is a great investment of time, because you are helping students in the Music Department at ENMU.”
Seifert summed it up best.
“I’m just thankful they exist,” he said.
