Photo by Iain Cridland, Unsplash.
By Pat Stinson
From junior high through high school, band class and band activities filled more time during my teenaged years than reading books, listening to music, hanging with friends and dreaming about boys. I tried my darnedest to make my clarinet produce the kind of sounds Benny Goodman, Woody Herman and Pete Fountain made. Realizing I would never attain their heights, or even fourth chair in the school band, I relaxed a bit and enjoyed playing everything from Sousa to Dvorak.
Decades later, I still remember notes and finger positions of certain passages we played over and over. Practice could be monotonous, but band was fun. I didn’t even mind being called a band nerd. I made new friends and especially loved the marching band. If I couldn’t excel on clarinet, I did on the football field ⸺ leading my 8-person marching squad in formations we practiced for hours after school, in rain or sunshine, extreme heat or finger-freezing cold.
So, the thought of playing once more in a band, especially a community band, holds a certain appeal. As “mature” adults, we tend to value the success of the whole over individual achievement. Yes, I can see the allure of a community band experience. And, apparently, so do a lot of others.
The Manistee Community Band is a group of about 40 musicians ranging in age from students to seniors. Some travel from nearby counties to participate.
The band will perform four concerts this summer, with the addition of a chorus. Conductor Ryan Billings, in an April interview with the Manistee News Advocate, said that organizers “wanted to provide a different experience for people who don’t play an instrument.”
The first free community concert, “Contemporary Americana,” will begin at 7 p.m., June 21, in the Lions Pavilion at First Street Beach in Manistee. In case of rain, the concert will be held at Manistee United Methodist Church, 387 First Street. An identical performance of music by American composers takes place at 7:30 p.m., June 24, in Frankfort’s Mineral Springs Park.
During their third concert, “A Joyous Celebration,” the two groups will entertain audiences with theme music from James Bond movies as well as “Mary Poppins”, “A Sound of Music” and others, beginning at 7 p.m., Aug. 9, at Ludington’s Waterfront Park.
Their final performance, “A Summer Renaissance,” takes place at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 16, in the Ballroom at Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, 101 Maple Street, Manistee. The world premiere of Concerto for Clarinet and Band, including Central Michigan University’s Ardea Quartet, is the highlight of the evening. Tickets to this indoor event are $15 for adults and $10 for those 17 and younger.
Follow the nonprofit band on Facebook @Manistee Community Band or email the organization at +manisteecommunityband@gmail.com.
Pat Stinson played B-flat and alto clarinet in high school. A mediocre musician, she redeemed herself on the football field as a member of the marching band. She is the co-editor of Freshwater Reporter.
