Not a newcomer, exactly, but I just got my own name!
I've previously posted a few comments as John In Remote Kansas (JIRK) using my SO's cookie; but now I get to drop the "remote." An aside: I have shared the cookie pending our getting another email address. I went with hotmail – and it was traumatic. Approximately 60 SPAMs, mostly offering porn – we were almost ready to drop the account, but they have (apparently) exhausted themselves, and it appears safe to use the site. Patience (or inertia) is rewarded!

Okay. – this will be too long to inflict on my friends, but maybe some of the rest of you....

I'm in Wichita, Kansas – not too far from the geographic center of the YEWNYNTED STAYTES.
I growed up here.
When I was a small pup, I spent quite a lot of time on my grandfathers farm, where the front pasture had never been plowed, and still had the native grass and the wagonwheel ruts from the old trail from Wichita to Hutchinson. I had a grandmother who "made her claim" by teaming rented mules along that trail to haul lumber for other people to build their homesteads. I spent some time, a couple of summmers, trying to kill the Russian Thistle that had invaded the four "buffalo wallers" in the pasture, cause grandpa said "they's furrin' weeds thet don't b'long there." They sold the farm when grandpa died, and when I saw that the new owners plowed the field, I cried for a while (I was about 30 then). Grandpa would'a made some noises that wouldn'a sounded like cryin'. (%^&@#!!)
My first recollection of any local music would have to be a group called "The Ark Valley Boys," who played in the area for forty years or more. I've recently seen a brand new bus with the name on it – but haven't heard of them having a job in the last twenty years. These guys played a "grand-ol' opry" style of music before any of us had a radio – complete with the comic, Cuzin Clarence, who greatly impressed an impressionable 5 year old at the Beech Aircraft Company Christmas Party in 1944 by taking his teeth out and wrapping his nose in his lower lip. His best song was "Barnacle Bill the Sailor." I got TWO candy canes from Santa Claus at the party. (My daddy bought a copy of the "Ark Valley Boys Songbook" – but I think mama burned it.)
For about the next 10 years, I thought that music was what you heard on our local AM radio – KFBI. Purely country. When the KFBI station was bought by "outa-towners," and the call letters were changed to KFDI, a lotta folks just quit listenin' for a year or two. That gives you an idea of the local "loyalties."
About 1954, my daddy paid $40 for an old tenor saxophone and said "Here – you're in the Junior High School Band." That was my formal music education.
In High School I hooked up with some "older guys" who were trying to put together a "Swing Band." Our drummer worked at a local mortuary, so he got to borrow the hearse to haul us to "gigs" at outlying small town Elks, Lions, VFW, dances. We sorta thought we were playing "Swing" type stuff – "Muskrat Ramble," "String of Pearls," etc. Never could teach the lead trumpet to play "In the Mood," though – he just couldn't get the rhythm. We finally got run out of business because the hearse driver was the only one old enough to join the Musicians' Union – if they hired us, nobody else could play for them.
About 1953 my mother said "Well, we've tried Methodist and Quaker, I think now we're gonna be Baptists." The church she took us to had a CHOIR. When the choir director noticed that I had no voice, he allowed as how "it ain't likely to change," and they let me into the "adult" choir.
Being too young to flirt with the altos, I immediately teamed up with a Friends University sophomore who was too short (4'6"?) to flirt with the altos, and the two of us sat around and talked about music theory, relativity, transcendental meditation, and such – while the baritones hit on the altos (and occasionally a soprano). I learned a lot of music theory from Jim. He later married a 6'2" blond Valkyrie, played "Snorky the Elephant" for a few years, and he and his wife were touring in "Christian Music" circles last I heard.
Which (FINALLY) brings me back to music in Wichita.
Our choir director had a voice that would break glass at forty paces, BUT he knew and loved classical choral music. He had managed to get the church to pay a postgraduate organist – and talked the church into buying her a "world class" organ. Two thirds of our choir members were also members of the Friends University "Singing Quakers," which is still – if you're into that sort of stuff – an internationally known and respected performing group. I was singing (croaking) with real pros. And since Jim couldn't get a girl either, I got private tutoring!
Formerly called the "University of Friends Church," but now known as just Friends University, the school offers "world class" education in classical (with emphasis, to a degree, on religious) music, and theology (of course), with a good liberal arts school. I understand that this is one of the oldest universities "west of the big muddy," and appears, still, to be going strong.
Our largest university, founded as "Fairmount College" back when rawhide britches were stylish, is now called "Wichita State University" (or "Hillside-High" by graduates of more prestigious technical schools). Although I don't know if it is still true, Wichita State University and Oklahoma State, for many years, claimed to graduate well over half of the engineers employed in "small aircraft" companies. Noted locally for their music and drama schools, Wichita State offers a comprehensive selection of courses – and highly successful athletic programs vastly overfunded by loyal alumni.
Our third major university is Kansas Newman, which is a much "younger" school, but appears to be thriving. A notable accomplishment is their annual sponsorship of the local "Renaissance Fair," which has its own peculiar flavor, and appears to be only loosely associated with the SCA.
Almost every "major" town (around here that's anything over about 8,000 pop.) has its own one (or two) Junior College(s). Some of them are really pretty good.
We do have a local symphony orchestra, an active civic choral group (with male and female divisions), and a number of people active in "barbershop" close harmony. There is a local "Theater Arts" group that has been excellent, although a recent change in directors has us waiting to see whether former standards will be maintained.
Perhaps presumptuously, some in Wichita consider us to be a "blues center," and there are a surprising number of local blues venues. A notable one, "The Artichoke," (seating for 7, average crowd 50, good food and relatively cheap booze) regularly schedules well known performers, along with a regular succession of locally known "names." Wichita State U has been sponsoring an annual Blues/Jazz "festival" that has begun to attract some attention.
There are a few local places that bill themselves a "jazz" venues," and I have heard that some of them have some pretty good performances, but we usually opt for places that don't charge admission.
We have 3 or 4 "large halls" that book "names" regularly. Willie Nelson and Ray Price are in town this week.
The local "Borders Books" schedules weekly performances of small groups – mostly local but occasionally reaching out to regionally notable bands.
The local "country" radio, KFDI cited above, has an FM station now that is VERY commercial, playing all of the latest loud commercial stuff. Fortunately their older AM station survives – and plays some really good oldies. We also have three area "public broadcast" FM stations that can be very good, or ...: - depending on whether the students or the faculty are rebelling at any given time.
For those who actually want to "make music," as opposed to just buying a ticket, one of our local coffee shops, the "Java Villa" sponsors a weekly "Irish jam," which is well attended.
We have a small active "Kansas Bluegrass Association," which has (approximately) monthly outings. There is a "Wichita Dulcimer Alliance," and a "Kansas Acoustic Arts Association," both of which offer a chance for people to play on a fairly regular basis. The Dulcimer Alliance emphasizes teaching and training in many of their sessions.
My SO (LiK) and I get together with a half-dozen friends weekly, to play (mostly) old-time country stuff. We know of several other similar groups, but although movement between these groups happens, it is rather sporadic.
The local kids still do the "our band" thing, like I did in High School, but now they need trucks to carry the amps. We don't listen to many of them – but they are pretty active on the local scene.
Almost all of our friends visit Mudcat and/or Cowpie on a regular basis, although I don't think many of them are heavy contributors.
Our BIG music scene here is the annual Winfield Acoustic Music Festival. We are trying to keep this a secret from the rest of the locals – but I'm afraid, after a quarter century, the news is leaking out. ("Outsiders," who might teach us something new are always welcome though.) Theoretically, it's a three day festival; but if you want a good camping spot, you need to set up a week in advance. If you REALLY want a good spot, you start camping a week before that – to get in line to get a good spot the week before the festival. If you're coming from far away, look up (or make when you get there) a buddy – we'll move somethin'. At my first festival, 8 of us went through 36 cases of beer (with a little help). It wasn't until my third year there that I found out that THEY HAVE PAID PERFORMERS in the grandstand. Then, once I started pretending I could play music, (and got too old to drink all that beer) I found out that the campground is so much MUSICAL fun, you don't really care what's going on in the grandstand. (LiK married me only after I had driven her there from Seattle three years in a row – she was afraid I'd quit bringing her. We finally decided it would be cheaper to move back here.) It still takes us 6 months to get well, and 8 months to get ready – go figure!