Meet the Woodinville Community Bands

[Gandalfe]

The Woodinville Community Band (a 501c or charity organization) is based in a suburb of Seattle. It's biggest sponsor is Microsoft who pays $17 an hour to to Microsofties who participate excluding practice time. The band consists of:

• Woodinville Concert Band with over 60 players
  Woodinville Jazz Ensemble with 18 players
  Woodinville Big Band with 20 players

There are also some adjunct combos. All bands have waiting lists for people waiting to get in. None of the bands have auditions... yet. All bands have professional directors, ringers (pro/semi-pro musicians) in lead or principle parts, and the new music budget is between $1000 - $2000 yearly. Uniform is usually white over black, black over black, Hawaiian (multi-colored, think loud) over black or tan pants/skirts.

There is a board of directors for the following positions:

• President
  Vice President
  Treasurer
  Secretary
  Director of Membership
  Director of Publicity
  Director of Events

This frees up the directors to select new music purchases, select music and concerts, and work with the bands.

Sample music played include:

Concert Band

• Poet and the Peasant
  Variations of a Korean Folk Song
  Festive Overture

Jazz Ensemble
Example video before the band was split to start the Big Band

• Honk
  Residual Fire Dance
  Nasty Bit of the Blues

Big Band
Starts Practicing May 2008

• In the Mood
  Hayburner (Basie)
  String of Pearls

There are many community bands and orchestras in the Seattle and surrounding suburbs. But as more baby boomers (born '46 to '64) get closer to retirement, there is more competition to find a band to play with. And most of the community bands play old music and marches because they do not have the budget that the WCB is so fortunate to have at this time.

[Gandalfe]

I thought I would just point to a video of a recent challenge that was met and conquered.

http://biskey7.wordpress.com/2012/04...the-challenge/

Support your local community band.

[sideC]

Yes! I listened to the 'Lord of the Rings' performance on youtube last night.....and was totally blown away! You guys, and gals, did a masterful job of representing what I'm sure the composer wanted when that piece was written. I didn't mention Molly Pond in my youtube comment because I wanted to stick to the overall aspect, the total ensemble performance. But I think that the first note of her solo sort of sets the tone, creates the momentum, for the rest of the piece.

This kind of playing inspires me!

Julian

[jbtsax]

Color me envious. What a great opportunity to have a group like that so close to where you live.

[Gandalfe]

Thanks guyz. I don't know how we got so lucky, but Suzy (clarinet, and now sax) and I are gonna ride this train until it stops. Note, I couldn't find a sax quartet, so I created one of those so that we advertise for this community band before our big concerts.