By Dave Babbitt – Special to the Sydenham Current
In valuing the privilege of having this space to express my personal thoughts on the Arts, I attempt to not abuse that privilege by making my column an advertising arm for my personal projects. However, my next few columns will focus on the Wallaceburg Concert Band: its birth, its growth, and where it is today. Most will already know the genesis of this organization, so I’ll touch on that aspect as briefly as I can.
I was about to retire in June of 2015 when I was informed that music would no longer be an option for WDSS students after I departed. That, of course, disappointed me greatly, but my real feelings were more along the lines of anger. The mountains of research supporting the idea that the Arts should be held as equal to Math, Science, and Language education doesn’t get so much as lip service in many jurisdictions, as the Arts are a “frill” and always the first to go. Make no mistake about it, funding is a factor in EVERY educational decision, as it was in this case.
I’ve had numerous people suggest to me that I’m probably very happy that my dream of starting a successful community band has been realized, but the truth is that starting a community band after retirement was NEVER on my radar. The reality is that the Wallaceburg Concert Band is a reaction to the shuttering of the music program at WDSS. My immediate goals were to demonstrate that there is a continuing need for instrumental music here in Wallaceburg and hopefully see music reinstated at WDSS as an option for students somewhere in the future.
Where was I to start, though? That was simple. I needed to find instruments first and then musicians to play them. In tackling the first problem, I was aware that there aren’t too many people (any?) local or otherwise who have very expensive French horns, tubas, saxophones, bass clarinets, euphoniums, and so on, lying around the house. My immediate thought was “if there isn’t going to be a music program anymore, there won’t be any need for the instruments at WDSS so maybe I could borrow them and get something started before they get dispersed to other schools.”
I then approached the recently resurrected Wallaceburg Arts Council for two reasons. First of all, before the Arts Council went dormant for several years, I knew that there were a few thousand dollars in their bank account that Mike Primeau had raised through an event called The Great Big Music Gig back in 2002, and that those funds were targeted for a youth instrumental music program that had never been realized. (Political reasons that I won’t get into). I thought that perhaps those funds could be used as seed money for a community band. Secondly, being associated with the Arts Council would provide instant credibility, not to mention their charitable status would be of great benefit in applying for grant monies and provide us with the ability to issue tax receipts for donations. Dave Elliott was Chair of the Arts Council at the time and approached WDSS to help sell my idea of using the no-longer needed instruments at WDSS.
The result was the signing of a three-year agreement allowing us to use the WDSS instruments that were, by then, rotting in the cupboards. Problem one solved.
Next, with the help of local media, we put out the word of an information meeting looking for prospective musicians. The turnout to the meeting was encouraging to say the least. We also needed a rehearsal space, and my no-longer needed music room was the ideal location. Everything we needed to start off was right there: chairs, music stands, print music, and of course, the instruments.
We managed to complete a no-cost agreement with the LKDSB through the provincial government’s Community Use of Schools program, allowing us access to the facility 5 days a week. At that point, we were able to begin rehearsals in the Fall of 2016. Dave Elliott sought people to form a Band Executive to help steer our future growth, and several people came forward to volunteer. Early on, I made the decision that it was important that we didn’t just form a band, but, more importantly, create an organization.
Our first rehearsals saw about 30 musicians attend, and I say musicians very loosely because many of them hadn’t touched an instrument since high school, and that was over 40 years ago for some! While expecting it to take a few years to gel, I was astounded by the speed of the group’s progress once we got rolling. In fact, the group progressed so quickly that we were able to put together a short Christmas concert at the Oaks Retirement Village in December of 2016. That first outing was a success by any measure, but there wasn’t much time for taking bows as there was much work to be done.
Little did we know at that point that 2 years later, much trouble loomed on the horizon. We buckled down to work because we needed to raise our performance level, and it was going to be extremely important moving forward that we find funding sources, as our agreement to use the LKDSB instruments was only to last for 3 years.
Fast forward to 2023, and it should be apparent to anyone familiar with the WCB that all it’s known to date has been success. This success is a result of a most incredible team of like-minded, driven musicians who continue to astound me with dedication to their craft, pursuit of fun, and a desire to share some great music with anyone who will listen. And let me be clear, I accept no personal kudos for this success. In my next column, I will provide some numbers and fun facts that I believe you will find interesting.
