By Dan White – Special to the Sydenham Current
After spending a concert season or more playing with the three area concert bands, I thought it would be nice to write about these three organizations. It truly was a wonderful experience playing with musicians from across a wide swath of southern Ontario. Together, these three bands draw members from the Windsor area through Chatham-Kent and across Sarnia–Lambton.
As community bands, they feature a wonderful mix of local musicians. There are many older players who have renewed their love of concert band music—often abandoned after graduating from high school. Some musicians never stopped playing, while others left their horn behind for decades. There is even a sprinkling of professional or semi-professional musicians in the ranks. The only band with a significant youth component is the Lambton Concert Band, due in no small part to the efforts of music teacher Chitra Dath and her powerhouse music program at GLSS. The constant across all three ensembles is the joy the musicians get from playing, and the freedom with which they share their talent.
While Joni and I have taken a break from the Lambton and Chatham Concert Bands, we maintain strong connections and will definitely be joining both in some capacity in the future.
It is a time of mixed energy for these community concert bands. The excitement comes from landmark moments for all three. The Wallaceburg Concert Band is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, while the Lambton Concert Band marks its 25th anniversary season. In 2027, the Chatham Concert Band will reach the incredible milestone of its 100th anniversary. That is the positive and inspiring energy surrounding these ensembles. The less-awesome energy comes from the ongoing decimation of music programs in our public schools.
There are a number of factors contributing to this decline: chronic government underfunding, curriculum shifts that devalue arts programs, the fact that 57 per cent of our primary schools lack qualified music specialists, and school boards shutting down programs altogether. There is always the lingering concern that modern youth won’t put in the time and effort it takes to become proficient musicians. Yet, when you look at vibrant, well-run programs, students don’t just participate—they thrive.
As a former music teacher, and someone who deeply enjoys being part of the community a concert band creates, I began to wonder if there was something I could help facilitate through my role as past chair of the Chatham-Kent Arts Council. Bringing together my role as a director on the Arts Council, my background as a retired arts educator, and my rediscovered passion for playing tuba in a concert band, I wanted to shine a spotlight on both the milestones of these three wonderful organizations and the urgent need to support music programs for the next generation. An idea that had been simmering for a few years finally came to a boil.
Recently, I attended a meeting with Eva Marie Clarke, Executive Director of the Chatham-Kent Arts Council, where we met with Tessa Catton, Dave Babbitt, and Vaughn Pugh—the three musical directors of the area concert bands. Through conversations while playing in all three ensembles, I had floated the idea of a collaborative event involving the CK Arts Council, and that suggestion became the focus of our meeting earlier this month. I’m happy to say that all three directors agreed to be part of this initiative.
While we are still in the early stages of planning and are actively seeking funding and sponsors, I can say this: this will be an event rarely—if ever—presented in this area. (If you, or your business, would like to find out how you can support this venture – contact me at dan@ckartsandculturenetwork.com to learn more.)
Mark your calendars for June 9, 2027, and stay tuned for details.
This will be EPIC.
