Factors Influencing Membership and Stability in Adult Amateur Bands - GW Bowie

Extracts from the Gordon Bowie Paper” (1990)

AN OVERVIEW OF FACTORS INFLUENCING MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT AND STABILITY IN AMERICAN ADULT AMATEUR BANDS

Edited By Marlin Strand

with a special emphasis on Band Leadership and its impact on

Success, Growth and Sustainment of the Community Band

There are numerous success stories in the band movement, but many community bands flourish briefly, and then decline in the face of personnel pressures.  Traditional bands that have survived through the years and maintained the valuable and artistic repertoire of the adult band (distinct from the educational repertoire) need to adapt and grow as times change if they are not to dwindle and perish.  Because society as a whole no longer places a premium on adult band membership, the key issue is attracting and retaining enough of the right players to allow a band to perpetuate its special activities.

Gordon Bowie and Band Leaders: Excerpts from RB Hall Dissertation

Gordon Bowie and Band Leaders: Snippets from his Dissertation on RB Hall – 1993

(The editor’s comments are in italics; M. Strand, Feb.2012)

RB Hall lived during the heyday of town bands. Every town had a band of some kind, and larger towns and cities often had several competing bands. These bands needed instructors, as well as fresh music to play. Before the advent of instrumental music education in the schools, participation in a community band was the primary means of learning to play a band instrument. Oftentimes Itinerant music teacher were professional bandsman who offered private lessons on all instruments and rehearsed the town band and other musical groups. The role is an honored one:

Big Band Bash - Ellington & Basie

Paul Nisson provided links to these videos as inspiration for 'Big Band Bash'

Bye Bye Birdie - Feb 25, 26

Amanda McCurry, Tom Nixon, Ric Okin, and Kelly Wagner will be in the pit band for Congregation Har Shalom's production of Bye Bye Birdie, Feb, 25 and 26.  Information >   Tickets >

Browningsville Band Needs You!

from Amanda McCurry

The Browningsville Cornet Band is currently in rehearsals for its 128th consecutive year.  We are a small community band performing at functions throughout the summer, mainly in the Mount Airy - Damascus - Monrovia area.  While we're small, we need more musicians!  Our music may not be as challenging as Poet and Peasant or Rolling Thunder, but we have a lot of fun.  A great way to keep your chops up over the summer, or bring yourself up to speed on a second (or third, or fourth) instrument.  Have a high school student in the family?  Students can earn service hours for performances!  We especially need horns and low brass, but all instruments are welcome.

We rehearse on Friday nights, 7:30 - 9:30, through the end of May at the Providence (Kemptown) United Methodist Church, Monrovia, MD.  Come on out and play with us - you'll see a familiar face or two!  For more information, see Amanda McCurry (mccurry.amanda@gmail.com) https://sites.google.com/site/browningsville/

Saxophones and tubas and euphoniums, oh my!

Contributed by R. Kelly Wagner

The annual Navy Band Saxophone Symposium was held this year on January 20 and 21st at George Mason University in Fairfax; I have tried to attend this every year since we moved to Maryland, although in January 2011 I missed it. So it was good to get back to atttending this year. The Symposium follows a similar format each year, with the events starting on Friday afternoon, a big concert by the full Navy Band on Friday night, more events all day Saturday including master classes and lectures, and a big concert by the Navy Commodores (jazz band) on Saturday night. The big evening concerts have lots of guest soloists, who usually are also presenters of master classes and/or solo recitals during the daytime events.

Franz von Suppé - Poet and Peasant - Overture

Excellent example of Poet and Peasant Overture suggested by Paul Nissan.