**As of September 1st, 2016, Foundry Hall will no longer be renting the Warren Center office space. We will continue to offer private and group lessons, but locations will depend on circumstances and availability of other space.
Foundry Hall’s community music programs are designed to make music accessible to all people, regardless of age, skill level, or financial status. Foundry Hall offers private and group instruction, workshops, song shares, jam sessions, open mics, and many other opportunities for learning, sharing, and continuing your musical progress on a variety of instruments. Whether you live in the area, or are simply visiting South Haven for a few days, we want to help you in your musical journey. We believe teaching is a great way to learn, and actively encourage intermediate and advanced students to use their skills to mentor others.
Group Lessons currently available:
*new sessions of classes will be announced soon. If you are interested in knowing when the next one starts, send us an email! foundryhall@gmail.com.
Michael teaches and mentors on trombone and guitar, and assists in the Tunebugs program (helping provide early music exposure to children), Sunday Hymn Sings and Song Swaps. He led the Ensemble group over the summer. He is very interested in arranging music for groups using computer programs and is organizing the Foundry Hall Printed Page Players, a reader’s theater with soundtrack and sound samples. He also plays valve trombone, baritone, tuba, piano, is a passionate singer/songwriter/arranger of secular and non-secular instrumental and vocal music, a piano tuner in training and life-long learner.
Michael directs the South Haven Area Men’s Chorus, is a trombonist with the Southshore Concert Band, Southshore Big Band, Moonlighters Big Band, and in his seventh season as a trombonist, vocalist and emcee of our historic Casco Band.
Transplanted to California, Texas, Ohio and back, with an Associates Degree and many years background in radio broadcasting, production, directing and voice acting, Michael credits quality exposure in his youth right here in South Haven, where there was great support for music with legendary teachers, including Michael Listiak, Robert Boerma, Robert Warren, John Bright, Lorraine Nook and Roger Dehn. Thanks in large part to our community’s support, Mr. Dehn’s honored Vienna choir in 1973 provided a once-in-lifetime experience of high level performances across Austria.
Over the years Michael has been active with Christian and community choirs, local bands, pit crews and mission orchestras (which took him to Negoya, Japan and Amman Jordan, where he helped mentor trombone students under conductor and professional Nashville Christian music arranger Camp Kirkland).
A new CD available by the Dutchmyn (Robert Warner) with special guests Andru Bemis and Pamela Chappell. Available for $10. Please contact dutchmynwarner@yahoo.com.
LENDING LIBRARY: Foundry Hall has a growing library of music books, CDs of past Foundry Hall performers, instruments and PA equipment all available to lend out. Donations are appreciated to help maintain and build our collection!
PRACTICE STUDIO RENTAL: We have two private studios each pianos, one electronic drum kit and one with an amplifiers and Hammond M3 organ available for practice.
THE LIST: Foundry Hall would like to help local musicians meet others, find opportunities to play and help the community find them. Foundry Hall has created a Community Music Fund to help support musicians that share their talents with community at public concerts and events hosted by local non-profits and charities. Get on the list to find out what opportunities are out there!
If you would like more information please email foundryhall@gmail.com or give us a call 269.220.0444
Foundry Hall is part of a greater arts and culture non-profit community in South Haven. We support our fellow organizations in enriching the lives of people in our community through opportunities in the arts, education and preserving the history of our area. Please visit their sites as well!
**Update! Foundry Hall is no longer renting the office space at the Warren Center offices.
You will be able to find us most reliably online and contact us via email at foundryhall@gmail.com or leave us a message on our google voice phone 269-220-0444.
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Foundry Hall’s Song Swap and Hymn Sing programs take place at the Robert Warren Center, on the first floor of the River Terrace apartment building. Foundry Hall offers occassional performances in the Warren Center community room as well as on the sunny patio overlooking the Black River. The Warren Center is near the intersection of Williams Street and Dyckman Avenue, by the drawbridge. Park and enter from Williams Street.
Performances at the Warren Center
Warren Family Trio Jan 2015
Blue Water Ramblers Feb2015
Bill Staines March2015
Kids Cabaret March2015
Brandy Zdan April2015
Hiroya Tsukamoto June2015
Michael Holt April2015
SH Mens Chorus April2015
Mark Dvorak May2015
Kids Cabaret April2015
Corn Potato String Band March 2015
About Robert Warren
Robert Warren
Robert “Bob” Warren was the fourth of five children, born on 8 February 1931 in Battle Creek, Michigan. Graduating from Battle Creek High School in 1949, Robert served in the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict from 1950 to 1953. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, Robert attended Western Michigan University and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music in 1958. In 1959, he married Esther M. Lamb, a native of South Haven.
Mr. Warren’s teaching career began in Marcellus, Michigan, as history teacher and band director. He went on to be orchestra director and string instrument instructor at Port Clinton, Ohio for the next five years.
Robert Warren w/ young Suzuki student
Robert Warren w/ Port Clinton Suzuki Class
Robert Warren w/ South Haven Suzuki students
Robert Warren w/ Dr. and Mrs. Suzuki, and Esther Ford
Robert Warren and Dr. John Kendall at Oberlin, OH workshop
Robert Warren with Put-in-Bay students, Justine Bianci, and Dr. John Kendall
Robert Warren w/ young Suzuki student
During this period, Robert became one of the first in the United States to incorporate the Suzuki Method in teaching young people how to play string instruments. The Suzuki Method, named after its developer Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, enabled very young musicians to play string instruments before learning to read music. The Warren family hosted Dr. Suzuki and his wife in their Port Clinton home in 1965. The Suzuki Method is widely used in the United States today.
Robert Warren w/ dance bandRobert Warren in Kalamazoo Symphony
Robert moved his family to South Haven, Michigan in 1966 in order to take a position as orchestra director and string instructor in the South Haven Public Schools. During his teaching and musical career, Mr. Warren also taught courses at the Lake Michigan Community College in Berrien County and at Nazareth College in Kalamazoo. He played string bass in the Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, and Jackson Symphonies. In addition, he played bass in a number of dance bands in Michigan and Ohio.
Robert Warren – South Haven city councilman
In 1971, Robert Warren successfully ran as a candidate for the Third Ward City Council seat. Robert was later re-elected and continued to serve the community until his death. During his time in office, Robert served on the Parks and Recreation Committee, the Bicentennial Committee, the Planning Commission, the Community Development Committee, and the Housing Commission. Mr. Warren was instrumental in the creation of a joint recreation program sponsored by the city and the public school system.
Of great concern to Robert Warren were the needs of senior citizens. His desire to see more housing and facilities for seniors was well known to family, friends, and colleagues. As city councilman, he led a drive in the community to acquire more housing for seniors in the South Haven area. These, efforts, however, were cut short by a fatal auto accident on 10 June 1978.
About the Robert Warren Center
Some time after Robert Warren’s death, the City of South Haven proposed the construction of a 49-unit elderly housing project that is now known as River Terrace Apartments. A community senior center was included — in response to a growing need for a facility to serve all of the seniors in the community. On 25 February 1980, the South Haven Housing Commission voted in favor of naming the planned community senior center in honor of Robert Warren for his hard work and dedication in furthering the well being of the senior citizens of this community.
During the early 1990’s, the South Haven Housing Commission started the South Haven Area senior Services (SHASS) organization. SHASS was an independent, 501(c)3 tax-exempt entity, created to serve an increasing number of seniors in the South Haven area. In the ensuing years, SHASS experienced tremendous growth, and now serves all Van Buren County as Van Buren County Senior Services. As a result, Senior Services outgrew their home at the Robert Warren Center, and elected to move to a new location on 76th Street, beginning on 1 March 2014.
From its original construction, through today and for many years into the future, the Robert N. Warren Senior Community Center is dedicated to promote an environment of humor, warmth, understanding, and patience for all seniors, their families, and friends.
For more information about the Robert Warren Senior Community Center, please contact the South Haven Housing Commission office at 220 Broadway, South Haven, MI 49090, or phone (269) 637-5755.
Tom Rasely has been playing the guitar since Christmas, 1964, and
studied music at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse NY and
received a Bachelor of Music Education from SUNY Fredonia (’73).
Having taught guitar privately for over 5 decades, he has also taught at
the NPM Guitar Schools, the National Guitar Workshop, and was
Director of the Norwich Guitar School.
Tom Rasely has performed in 26 states and parts of Canada, as guest
soloist with several regional symphony orchestras, and has performed
twice at the White House.
He has appeared on over 70 recording projects, many featuring his
original instrumental music. His music has been heard on “The Folk
Sampler”, “Echoes”, “The Guitar Shop”, Muzak, and also in the film
documentary “Saving Newburgh”.
As a bonus, Tom is also an award-winning radio copywriter.
He describes his music as a neo-romantic statement of melody,
melodically strong and harmonically attractive.
Play more music together this summer! Foundry Hall is hosting a weekly ensemble made up of any interested band instrument players. Led by Kyle McNees and Michael Vanden Tak of the Casco Band, the participants help determine what to play. There is lots of potential for experimentation, peer to peer learning and fun! This is a weekly event on Fridays from 5-7pm that will run through the summer.
Open to everyone interested in playing and helping others play music in a friendly, creative environment! Drop in and check it out!
Foundry Hall would be happy to host string ensembles, vocal groups or any other music/performing arts related groups. Send us an email if you would like to start something and we’ll help make it happen!
Workshops are a great way to get playing, keep playing, learn about a style or technique, broaden your knowledge and meet other people. Foundry Hall hosts workshops taught by musicians including professional traveling artists, veteran local musicians as well as amateurs who want to share their skills and knowledge with others. If you have an idea for a workshop send us an email and we’ll help make it happen! foundryhall@gmail.com
Upcoming workshops (click on title for more details and tickets):
In this small group class, students will learn about their guitars, how to tune the strings, play chords and read chord charts and tab. This will give them basic skills introducing them to the world of guitar playing. In this group setting, the kids will play together with the opportunity of helping and encouraging each other along the way. We will learn some songs to play right away so that the kids are making music and having fun from the start. Students may join after it starts if there is room, but may need a catch up lesson depending on skill level.
