Headwaters Music and Arts seeks community input for future plans

Headwaters Music & Arts is asking Bemidji-area residents to help shape its next strategic plan, with a community survey open through Friday, June 12. The nonprofit says the responses will help decide what programs to strengthen, where access still falls short and how the organization should spend its time and money as it starts planning for the summer.

The survey is aimed not just at regular participants, but also at people who do not already take part in Headwaters programs or events. That makes the effort more than a simple membership check-in. It is an attempt to hear from families, artists and other residents who may know the organization only from downtown or from its public events, and from people who have not been able to participate because of cost, scheduling or other barriers.

Headwaters says it wants feedback on awareness of local arts opportunities, interest in future programming, perceptions of the organization’s value in the community and accessibility issues such as pricing and scholarships. Survey responses could also help identify future volunteer opportunities, partnerships and community engagement efforts. Executive director Tricia Andrews said the goal is to hear from a broad range of voices so future programming better reflects community interests, needs and values.

That planning comes as Headwaters marks more than three decades in Bemidji. The organization began as a nonprofit music-lesson provider with seven teachers and 72 students, then moved to 519 Minnesota Ave. in 1997 and grew into a full-service school of the arts. Today it serves pre-K through adults with visual art, pottery, literary arts and music programming.

Affordability is part of the discussion. Headwaters says it offers scholarships based on financial need that can reduce program fees by 25% to 50%, and financial assistance is available for all classes as funds allow. The organization says it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by tuition, arts organization grants, state agencies and community donations. Its annual gala is its largest fundraiser and helps sustain the scholarship program, underscoring why pricing and access are central to the survey.

Residents can complete the survey online, and printed copies are available at Headwaters Music & Arts, 519 Minnesota Ave. NW, Bemidji. The main line is 218-444-5606. As the summer planning process begins, the survey will help determine how Headwaters balances programming growth, affordability and the reach of its arts mission across Beltrami County.