LCCC Music Program soaring to new heights

The stage is being set in the coming days for “With a Dance in Our Step,” a concert presented by the LCCC Music Program. It’s the latest in a remarkable series of concerts that are demonstrative of a growing and prospering Music Program in Cheyenne.

Attendance at concerts is growing — just look at the annual Trunk or Treat event, which fills the Surbrugg/Prentice Auditorium to capacity. For LCCC music instructor Frank Cook, that’s a remarkable accomplishment, but it’s perhaps not the number he’s most interested in.

For Fall 2024, interest in LCCC’s Music Program is surging.

“As far as recruitment, we’re getting our name out and things are improving,” Cook said. “The ensembles are the biggest they’ve ever been. I think it’s continuity.”

When Cook came to the program in 2018, there was a lot of work to do in implementing his vision. But through the last six years, consistency in personnel and a commitment to taking individual students and the ensembles to new heights has produced remarkable results.

During COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, enrollment in the Music Program dropped, as was the case with programs across the board at colleges worldwide. But the ensembles’ work never stopped, Cook said. In the years that followed, the Music Program remained dedicated to recruiting students and providing programming that would meet their needs and allow them to grow as musicians. The chances for students to perform continued to increase, and the LCCC’s quality began to entice more students. 

Today, music at LCCC has not only bounced back, but it’s bigger than ever, and providing more opportunities for students to take on new challenges.

“The ensembles are playing a more difficult repertoire and the frequency of concerts is higher,” Cook said. “A lot of times, you’re limited in what you can do by the size of the ensembles, but that’s not a constraint we face anymore, which is a big help.”

It makes sense to John Fritz, Chamber Orchestra director, that LCCC’s Music Program is growing, because the increasingly challenging music and the opportunity to perform in a symphonic orchestra are so enticing to students.

For the “With a Dance In Our Step” concerts on May 4 and 5, Fritz said the pieces the Chamber Orchestra will perform show the increase in the program’s quality.

“Our music for this concert is some of the most challenging we have prepared,” he said. “The orchestra members have worked hard on it, and I am very pleased with how they are playing together.”

Most importantly, Cook said student success of late is proof of the program’s efficacy. Students are transferring to universities across the region and nation, rather than just serving as a funnel to Wyoming’s only four-year school. Whether it’s colleges in the Colorado Front Range, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Central Missouri or Weber State University in Utah, students are finding LCCC to be a springboard into the future they are looking for.

Additionally, Cook said LCCC Music Program alumni are finding meaningful jobs that allow them to pursue their passions as careers.

“These groups are hiring young musicians to actually be front and center on professional, paid gigs,” Cook said. “More opportunities are happening, too, as the program is getting bigger.”

Looking back at what his five-year plan was when he started, Cook said he’s farther along than he expected. Even with the interruptions in that timeframe of COVID-19, he said things are progressing at an impressive rate.

“We’re way ahead of what my vision was going to be,” Cook said. “The numbers with our incoming freshman class are only going to put rocket fuel in the situation.”

For more information on the events and LCCC’s music programs, go to lccc.wy.edu/music or contact Dr. Frank Cook at fcook@lccc.wy.edu or 307.778.1306. Those needing assistance to attend events can contact the LCCC Office of Student Accommodations at 307.778.1359.