The musical legacy of Rogers State University and its predecessor institutions will be the focus of an April 24 research presentation on RSU’s Claremore campus.
Dr. Kirk Weller, Assistant Professor of Music and RSU Director of Bands, will present “The History of Bands at Rogers State University and Its Predecessor Institutions” at 2 p.m., Friday, April 24, in the Stratton Taylor Library, Room 207. The talk is free and open to the public.
Weller initiated research into the institution’s bands and musical performance groups as he was completing RSU’s application for a national band honorary fraternity.
During that process, Weller found that RSU’s musical roots trace back to its very earliest days when the institution was founded in 1909 as Eastern University Preparatory School.
That musical legacy continued from 1919 to 1971 when the school operated as the Oklahoma Military Academy, with bands that performed both in the local area as well as outside the state.
Musical performance groups also were a part of the school as it transitioned to a community college during the 1970s and ’80s.
Weller’s talk is being presented in conjunction with the School of Liberal Arts, the Department of Fine Arts and the Stratton Taylor Library.