Creative culture

Hitting all the right notes with Rawlins Music Academy

RAWLINS — Small communities aren’t always lucky enough to have a strong musical presence.

Thankfully, Rawlins isn’t one of them.

Rawlins Music Academy is a hub for all things related to music.

“Essentially, at the base of it, Rawlins Music Academy is an organization that was started to give musicians an outlet in town,” Damien Cesko, president of the nonprofit, explained.

Rawlins Music Academy was created in December 2005.

“So it’s been going strong for almost 20 years,” Cesko said. “It was initially started by seven people that were musicians just looking for an outlet and avenue to be able to play and make music.

“So they got together via their church, initially. They started doing rehearsals and realized that there were a lot more people who were interested in doing something with that. So they continued to move forward.”

From that point, the founding members found a director and then formed a band from the Rawlins Music Academy.

“They started out with performances. That then branched out into offering lessons and eventually, opening a little retail store,” Cesko explained.

Currently, Cesko said that the academy offers music lessons for most instruments.

“There’s always some fluctuation with it. You know, people come and go. But we have most woodwinds: flute, clarinet, saxophone. We also have most of the brass instruments,” he added.

“We have trumpet, trombone, tuba and baritone.”

The Rawlins Music Academy also offers piano and guitar lessons.

“Presently, we have some group violin lessons going on. Also, we have some individual violin lessons,” Cesko said. “I believe that we have a cello player, at the moment, taking lessons from one of the violin instructors.”

Cesko is a skilled musician with numerous years of experience.

“Initially, when I came in, I was just playing music with them,” he said. “It was an organization that I really thought that I could enjoy and contribute something to. So, I joined in the public relations position initially.

“I actually came in as the secretary, and the secretary at the time asked me to trade her for the public relations spot. Then, I transitioned into the president position a few years ago.”

Rawlins Music Academy, within the last year, moved into a new building, located at 208 W. Cedar St.

Cesko explained that the retail aspect of the academy “branched out” to offer things that the schools’ music departments needed.

“We sell things like reeds, valve oil, drum sticks, books and basic stuff to help assist the school,” he said.

This has given them the opportunity to shop locally.

“Our local band teachers are really good about that,” Cesko said. “They kind of come and go and get stuff as they need it. Some of them offer lessons. At this point, a lot of the music instructors in town have some sort of tie in here, which is amazing.”

Having a strong musical presence right in Rawlins is beneficial for people of all ages.

“Music is one of those things that no matter what language you speak, no matter what feelings you have, there’s always some type of music that can tie into that. Statistically, time and time again, it’s been proven that kids who are involved in music typically do better in school,” Cesko said. “They’re typically happier.”

He added, “There’s something about music kids that draws other music kids together. So, there’s typically amazing relationships that are formed in that community. A lot of times, if you start playing music, it’s something that you can carry on for a lifetime.”

There is also a community band offered at Rawlins Music Academy.

“In our community band, we have kids that are ages 10-12, and we have adults that are close to 80 years old,” he explained. “The variety of people that we have in the community band is just outstanding.

“It’s an eclectic variety of people all just looking to make music.”

Each year, the community band typically has around 25-30 members.

Additionally, the community band puts on a spring concert, a fall concert and then a Christmas concert.

“And usually, we try to get out of Rawlins once a year, if not twice. We try to get over to Saratoga or Hanna to play,” Cesko said. “We’ve also gone to Baggs to play and Sinclair. We also have a functioning community choir.

“That has way more of a sway on the attendance numbers. Usually around the holiday season, we get a lot more members. Our spring season isn’t usually as heavy.”

Cesko went on to say, “We also have a strings group that operates under our umbrella, and we have a hand bell choir, as well, with 12 members currently participating.”

Check out all that Rawlins Music Academy has to offer by visiting their Facebook page, “Rawlins Music Academy.”

This story was published on April 3, 2024.