Music is a fundamental part of everyday life, whether it be listening to the radio or attending concerts, but time can be a critical constraint for those who want to develop their musical skills. For those with a deeper connection to tunes, Aggie Notes has created a community.
Founded in 2003, Aggie Notes has been delivering live music and lessons to members of the Bryan-College Station community. The president of Aggie Notes, biology junior Kalea Mommaerts, said that the reason that the organization exists is because of a passion for music.
“Our statement recently has been a club by musicians for musicians,” Mommaerts said. “I think the by musicians is a really significant part of it.”
The organization was originally founded as an orchestra club, but with their dedication to music and focus on inclusivity, they have since expanded their horizons. Social and events officer, performance and visualization studies junior Natcha Phaobunjong, said that Aggie Notes currently provides opportunities for people with all types of instruments and music interests.
“We meet friends, we’re meeting awesome people that play guitar, play trombone, they play bass and we’re playing these jam sessions,” Phaobunjong said. “It’s just a fun and really loving community who just likes music.”
With many of the organization’s members’ love for music, it is no surprise that Aggie Notes sought to share their zeal with others. Mommaerts explained how the club has held many service events in the form of free live concerts and musical events in hopes of spreading what members call the magic of music.
“We have a little session for all the toddlers at the Becky Gates Children Center, and I feel like that’s how we serve the community,” Mommaerts said. “Like all those kids, I remember when I was playing for them, they were just so enamored by everything, and it was probably their first experience with having that type of live music up close.”
For many members of the organization, music provided them with friends and community during their high school years. Being able to join a similar community in university through Aggie Notes has rekindled that familiar home for them, giving rise to new connections.
“A lot of people that come from high schools where orchestra was like all their best friends, like all their family came from orchestra, and we want to create that same type of environment,” Mommaerts said.
Being part of something like a band or a practice session can create life-changing impacts for some people. For Phaobunjong, that positive impact was incredibly strong. During one of her hardest times, music that helped her overcome her challenges
“I was forced into music as a child, and I ended up really liking it,” Phaobunjong said. “I had depression, like really bad depression. High school and music is actually what got me through that really hard time. Just the thought of practicing and being in the group, just having friends.”
Vice president and architectural engineering senior Barbara Garza Valdes said Aggie Notes can provide all the services and events it currently does thanks to fundraising. Many of these fundraising events involve members playing live music, and by using these funds the club is able to provide music workshops and private lessons.
“We don’t really go into these opportunities looking for money, but sometimes people will insist on giving it to us,” Garza Valdes said. “If they reach out to us to play at an elementary school or like a nursing home, in which case, we can have that money for the org or for other teaching opportunities where we can have people, professors or private lesson teachers come in.”
One of the bigger events that Aggie Notes is planning for the near future is a concert called “Firefly Concert.” The club is planning to bring together musicians from the Bryan-College Station area together to perform live music so that members of Aggie Notes won’t be the only musicians playing. The club hopes that they will be able to showcase talents from across the area, including all types of music styles and artists.
“It’s not that we’re just looking for people in Aggie Notes to perform,” Phaobunjong said. “I’m open to having indie artists, like small artists around campus come and perform, like if there’s any jazz ensembles, string ensembles. The specific event is supposed to bring people together.”
The lessons and workshops provided by Aggie Notes have given opportunities not only to advanced musicians, but beginners as well. Being musically inclined is not a requirement for joining, and the leadership is happy to help people who want to start playing an instrument, whether it be piano, guitar or anything in between.
“Literally anyone. Any grade, any major, like anyone,” Garza Valdes said. “Like my friend from earlier, I told him about the organ, he was like, ‘Oh, I actually want to join because I really want to learn how to play the piano,’ and I would not have expected that from him, like at all.”
Aggie Notes aspires to share how special music is to them. Whether it be from the listening side or the performance side, music connects people together, Phaobunjong said.
“Music and just orchestra in general is very positive for your mind, for your body,” Phaobunjong said. “It’s good for your soul, and I think if we can just share a little bit of that music love to our community, I think it’s great.”
