New music clubs president promotes study, performance

— As an associate professor of music at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Chris Thompson shares the importance of music study and performance with students. As the newest president of the Arkansas Federation of Music Clubs, his work has a statewide reach.

AFMC, a member of the National Federation of Music Clubs, was founded in 1915 by Elizabeth Foster, a Little Rock resident, and works to promote music study and creation.

“It’s main purpose is to encourage young Arkansas musicians, may they be musicians or composers,” Thompson said.

Thompson was previously the organization’s vice president and will serve as president for two years. A Kansas City, Missouri, native, Thompson started his musical journey with the piano.

“My mother is a longtime piano teacher in the Kansas City area, and she still teaches,” he said. “I got a fairly early start with piano. I think I was in the second or third grade when I started that.”

Thompson also enjoys singing and has a history of playing the trombone, but said the piano is his main instrument. He studied piano at the University of Kansas and received a master’s degree in music from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and a doctorate in music theory from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

AFMC includes members of various ages, from pre-college students to music teachers, and offers festivals for students to perform in a noncompetitive environment and receive feedback to better their skills.

“We try to encourage young people in their music-making and offer them opportunities for scholarships and to further their studies,” he said.

In Arkansas, there are 17 music clubs that are organized into five districts. Thompson has been involved with the Schubert Music Club of Walnut Ridge, located in the northeast district, for a number of years, he said. The local club was founded in 1928, and its monthly meetings typically include a musical performance.

He said that in the past, members of local music clubs had to be invited to join, but now, the organization is abandoning that formality.

“You don’t have to be a musician or performer to be a club member,” he said. “You just have to love music and enjoy it, and be able to chip in and help the organization.”

Thompson said being involved with music is beneficial to children as they grow, and with an emphasis on STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — programs, many arts programs in public schools are suffering.

“A lot of research, especially within the past 20 years, has just confirmed the importance of music to brain development because it engages both hemispheres of the brain,” he said.

Thompson said many students’ introduction to music starts in a public school, and music can be a hobby maintained over the years.

“It’s a great creative outlet. It can be a real anchor for students,” he said. “The one thing about music study that’s really unique is that generally, if you are taking lessons, you work with that study year after year; you build up a continuity with that teacher.”

Thompson said challenges that AFMC faces include recruiting younger members and making music more accessible to audiences.

“We’re doing a good job in promoting music study among the younger people,” he said. “We need to find creative new ways and take them to the people, instead of expecting them to come to us and hear us.”

Places where musicians can share their performance include nursing homes and children’s shelters, he said.

“I really do like our college students being involved in taking the music that they’re doing out in the community as a type of community service because I think it’s important to know music isn’t just something you do for yourself or your teachers,” he said. “You have a responsibility to share it with others.”

As president, Thompson plans to travel across the state to meet with clubs, especially smaller clubs, because he knows what it’s like to be a part of a smaller one.

“I was encouraged when our club had a visit from a state president,” he said.

Thompson said the study of music can carry over into one’s everyday life, and he emphasized that AFMC is an inclusive organization.

“We welcome new members all the time, and a person doesn’t have to be a performer to be a part of the group,” he said.

Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.

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