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 The event was one of the rare occasions when the band comes
together to provide music for a special program or to entertain a
crowd.
"We always play on Thursday of the three-day fall festival, the
second weekend in September, and the band also performs a morning
concert every Memorial Day at the Atlanta Library," explained band
director Jeff Kindred.
Kindred said the band usually begins to practice four to six weeks
before an event. But the members aren't inexperienced and out of
touch with their instruments. Two members belong to the
Lincoln Area Music Society; tuba player Harold
Drake also performs with bands in Lincoln and Mount Pulaski.
The Atlanta Municipal Band's members come from a range of age
groups, but the oldest is Paul Adams, a baritone player, who has
celebrated his 97 birthday. He was not available to play at the
school's event, but he has been a faithful band member for a long time.
"We'll play for an event if someone calls and asks us to," Kindred said,
"but there just aren't a lot of events that call for a
band."
Communities once had bands that were called upon to perform
on special occasions, holidays, and for military and veterans'
events. The Atlanta Municipal Band is descended from Church's Band,
a community band with a military focus.
If anyone is interested in scheduling the Atlanta Municipal Band,
contact Kindred at 217-750-1335.
[BY MARLA BLAIR] |
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