by Trent Ballew
Your horn is tuned, you are warmed up, you talk softly with your colleagues as you wait for the curtain to rise, and you begin to feel the excitement of the upcoming performance. No, I’m not talking about a performance with a symphony orchestra or collegiate wind ensemble…I’m talking about playing with your local community band.
Earlier in life, many of us experienced the excitement of playing in excellent university or even professional ensembles, or we performed at some prestigious venue or musical competition. But after that season of life is over and your priorities shift to family, career, and community, how do you fill the longing that only performing in a large ensemble can fill if you aren’t a professional musician? There are very few experiences that can replace the sheer beauty of being in the middle of a large ensemble making music together that you just can’t re-create alone in your home. After all, just because you are not a musical professional does not mean you are not still a musician, right? To enjoy such experiences again, look no further than your local community band!
My personal journey with community bands began after I left college. I had been a member of a very accomplished university band in Texas. I wasn’t a music major, but I absolutely loved playing in the band as well as in the orchestra. I remember once performing Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral and feeling the ecstasy of the harmonies all around me that brought me to the point of tears, and I wanted to feel that again. I started asking around in the small town in Oklahoma where I had my first job, and I was surprised to learn that they had a civic band and orchestra. I enthusiastically joined and, to my delight, they were amazing! We played traditional concert pieces, but we also accompanied a local pianist playing a piano concerto and even provided a pit band for the local theater company’s performance of Fiddler on the Roof—experiences I had never had before—and I was hooked! Over the next 35 years, I have been able to be part of numerous community bands in Texas and have had experiences ranging from performing in a world-class symphony hall, opening for sports games, playing park concerts, playing in a jazz band (yes, French horn in a jazz band), and even doing a concert with Doc Severinsen. In fact, as I am writing this, I have just returned from playing a Saturday morning park concert at the local Arbor Day celebration. The possibilities are truly endless.
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Horn section of the Allen Community Band, Allen, Texas: (l-r) |
I share these personal stories to demonstrate that there are musical experiences waiting for the non-professional musician that may be beyond what you expect or even what you experienced in school. Certainly, there are opportunities to feed the musical fire that surely remains in anyone who has ever seriously played an instrument.
Now, I already know a few of the thoughts that may be going through your mind as you consider joining a community band. So, let’s talk about some of the most common:
“I haven’t played since high school.”
This is probably the biggest fear most players have. The best thing I can say to this is, “I promise, your chops will come back.” I took a multi-year hiatus while my career and family became priorities, and it only took 2-3 weeks before I felt comfortable playing again. A horn player joined our band once who had not played in 57 years! I had to show him the fingerings again and teach him a few basics, but in a couple of months, he was playing right along with us and doing great. Sure, your embouchure will be out of shape; playing horn may not be quite like riding a bike, but with just a little perseverance and practice, you’ll be back playing again and loving it like before. Also, most community bands don’t have auditions, so you will likely be able to take your time getting your strength back while you are rehearsing and performing.
“I don’t have time!”
While this may be true in some instances, it’s usually just an excuse. Most community bands rehearse only 1½ or 2 hours each week and have concerts only 4 to 5 times a year. Some have weekly summer concerts as well, but those are often in lieu of the weekly rehearsal. Time commitments for these groups are usually minimal, and it’s really not a lot of time compared to the musical experience you are getting.
“I don’t know anyone in the band.”
Actually, this is a positive, not a negative! In a community band, you will make new friends that share your love for music and who usually live near you. It’s a great way to build community and widen your circle of friends. Also, many members tend to stay in the band for years, so it’s a perfect way to build long-lasting friendships.
“Community bands are only in large cities.”
Not true. There are an estimated 2,500 community or civic bands in the United States and thousands of concert and wind bands across the globe, most notably in Japan, Australia, and across Europe and the British Isles.
The quality of bands obviously varies based on the quality of the players in it, but you’ll find that most community bands contain some surprisingly accomplished players. I’ve found that most people who will join a band in their adult years are musicians who were at the top of their section in high school or college and are playing again years later because of their love of music, people just like you. You might not be playing The Pines of Rome or Pictures at an Exhibition, but I’ve been in bands that played some very challenging pieces with great horn parts like American Overture for Band and Lincolnshire Posey, or Carmina Burana and numerous other great orchestral transcriptions. There are some very good bands out there playing fun and challenging music. Many are conducted by retired band directors who want to perform challenging music as well.
Membership in your community band can also lead to other musical opportunities. My local band has been blessed with a section of ten French horns, all of whom are very capable players. We love playing together so much that we have begun meeting outside band rehearsals to play Lowell Shaw’s Fripperies and other quartets, octets, and other challenging horn ensemble music. These are pieces that we would never have had the opportunity to play if we had not met and played together in band.
So, if your horn is sitting in a closet gathering dust but you fondly remember the joy that comes from playing in band all those years ago, I encourage you to take the step and seek out a band in your area; there’s probably one closer than you think. You will once again feel joy flowing through your soul as you create music with friends who understand why the smile on your face is so big after the conductor cuts off that long, beautiful chord at the end of the piece.
