By Dave Babbitt – Special to the Sydenham Current
While I know that it’s not currently safe to talk about American politics, one of the most anticipated events each year is when the POTUS makes his annual “State of the Union Address.”
I have used this space many times to mention certain aspects of our Wallaceburg Concert Band, but this week I’d like to present a “State of the Band” report as I have recently encountered quite a few folks who are new to our community and have no knowledge of who we are or what we are about. Please note, however, that unlike the State of the Union Address, I do not expect anyone to cheer or clap at the conclusion of every sentence.
Our band has been associated with the Wallaceburg and District Council for the Arts since our inception in 2016. The relationship has been essentially a financial one, as we were able to leverage the benefits of their Charitable Status and blanket insurance policy that covers our performances. Our association with the WDCA has had nothing to do with the management or artistic direction of the band, as the band requires people with expertise in this very niche area, which was not within WDCA’s wheelhouse of experience to operate.
So, a Band Executive was developed from our community supporters and within our band’s membership to oversee our operations. Our Band Executive quickly devised a long-term plan for growth in several areas, including fundraising, increasing membership, instrument acquisition, and musical growth.
The first goal was to find funding for many of the large, very expensive instruments that people were willing to play but were beyond the means of personal ownership. For example, entry-level quality tubas or baritone saxophones cost more than $8,000! Euphoniums cost over $2,300, of which we own four. Double horns cost in excess of $4,000, of which we currently own five. We also own many alto and tenor saxophones costing anywhere between $1,800–$2,200 each. But those are not all of the instruments we’ve been able to acquire. We own flutes, clarinets, bass clarinets, trumpets, and trombones.
Many of our members own their own instruments, most of professional-level quality. Each of our acquisitions has been strategically planned for in our long-term growth forecast. For example, we purchased the finest portable electronic keyboard with the best sampled sounds that we could afford at the time, as it could temporarily fill in important parts for instruments that we did not own. This allowed us to buy time until we could afford to purchase the authentic instruments and find the personnel to play them.
For example, we did not have an oboe player, bassoonist, or many of the percussion sounds often required, such as a marimba, vibraphone, or glockenspiel, but our keyboard was a great stand-in for those sounds. When we were forced from WDSS, we also lost our access to their timpani and drum kit, but we needed those instruments in order to present our music.
Fast forward, and we are now the proud owners of an incredible selection of orchestral percussion instruments, including three timpani, a drum kit, marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, and many other percussion instruments, representing an investment of well over $30,000. In one of our recent concerts, we hired a professional percussionist who marveled at the range and quality of our percussion equipment.
As silly as it may sound, when we left WDSS, we didn’t even have chairs to sit on, nor stands for our music. Over time, we have purchased high-quality musician’s chairs, music stands, and the requisite carts to move them because we are required to transport all of our assets to each performance venue. This represents another investment of well over $40,000!
Those who attended either of our recent Christmas shows experienced our new stage setup, allowing the musicians to be better seen, better heard, and providing better sightlines between myself and each musician. This was another large investment that was long planned for and finally accomplished. We also own our own lighting and projection equipment.
In looking at the staggering numbers I’ve provided, readers may wonder where that kind of funding has come from. We’ve applied for grants, we have run our own fundraising events such as our annual hockey ticket raffle and dinner theatre presentations, were the recipients of the Rotary Club’s extreme generosity when they dissolved their chapter, we accept freewill donations at our concerts, and currently receive an annual $17,500 Municipal grant (the same funding as the Chatham Concert Band).
Despite the tremendous costs and investments made in our organization, our concerts are free to attend, and attendees will notice that we never even mention that we are accepting donations at our concerts. We do not want anyone to feel obligated to give by pointing out our collection jars.
Additionally, we have ongoing costs such as purchasing new music to expand our music library, truck rentals to move our equipment safely, and providing the church we rehearse in with a monthly stipend, as well as hiring a cleaning service to help with maintaining the church during our music season.
In tossing out some very large figures, readers will understand that it was prudent to invest in security measures to protect our assets. Unlike some other bands, however, no one in our organization is remunerated for their work, as we are strictly a volunteer band, including myself. The numbers I’ve provided are not intended to be bragging points but merely an indication of the sweat equity every one of our members has invested in what we do.
The band is a success story not of my making but OUR making. This has been the most incredible team I’ve ever worked with. Monetary investment aside, the most important aspect of our band, however, is its high level of musicianship. If you haven’t heard them, you’re missing out.
Our band is now 56 members strong, and we have been attracting musicians of incredibly high quality from surrounding areas as our reputation for musical excellence spreads. We have just recently welcomed a new trumpet player who not only comes with great credentials but also composes and arranges music!
As mentioned earlier, we established long-term plans for musical growth from day one. Originally accepting anyone with previous music skills and a willingness to play, we must now be selective in who joins us, as they need to match our current level of musicianship. Not only is this the finest group of musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of leading, but we are also very tight socially, and Tuesday rehearsal is the highlight of each week.
Currently hard at work on our April 26th concert, I can assure readers that you will leave with the biggest smile on your face possible with the music and guest artists that will be joining us. As always, our next concert will be our best yet.
If interested in our band, please contact us through either our webpage at wallaceburgconcertband.ca or via our public Facebook page.
I hope that I’ve been able to paint a good picture of the state of our band. We’re in a very good place!
