Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-07-30
Value of Home
Town Band
The Town With a Good Ban(
Rated a Live Town
From the Monitor, Marietta, Okla

Wnat Dene1lt 10 community is
band? Ofthe professional band, whose
| players are artists and whose playing is
finished product, there is no chance
for argument-it bears the same re-
lation to the community that the art
galleries and libraries do. So, therefore
take it for granted that the above query
refers to the ordinary country village
band whose name is legion.
There is bare possibility that l may
be biased in my ideas on this subject,
for from the time, when six years old,
the tuba player in the little country
band in the little country town OF
Mosherville, Mich, sent me to his home
after his instrument, and ] played my
own march to my own delight land no
other's) on the way back to the band
room, which happened to be the village
blacksmith shop, and where ! sat in
open-eared and open-mouthed delight
way beyond my usual bedtime and in
fact until | was led home by the ear by
my mother, have been the champion
of the country band.
have played in them and | taught
them and have laid under the trees in
the park on Saturday evening and
listened to them, and it would take
mighty strong financial interests to
make me live in town that could not,
or would not, support its band.
"Of benefit to the community"
AS the community is made up of in
dividuals SO anything affecting the in
dividual affects the community.
There is that in the human breast
that demands amusement, enjoyment,
relaxation, and if we cannot get it at
home we are going from home to get it.
There are certain few young men in
every village and town who are music
ally inclined; it is just as natural for
them to play an instrument as it is for
others TO add column of figures, and
all that is needed is training. His long
ing is constantly that way; soon you
find he has procured an instrument and
the trials of the community begins-the
probabilities are nothing of the kind
has been ever seen or heard in that
community before, and the result is
every neighbor within hearing strolls
around within forty-eight hours and
the proud possessor has to deliver a
lecture on its mechanism and deliver
samples of its tones. Within thirty
days every one within hearing delivers
a lecture on that same instrument and
consigns it to places thought of but not
mentioned. But as that young man
begins TO develop melodies the COM
munity sits up and listens. Again, other
young men catch the inspiration, more
instruments are purchased; the same
thing occurs in other communities until
the performers reach the zenith of
their uninspired single ambition; finally
a number get together, the band is sug-
gested-the boys chip in and buy q
beginners band book, one of the
number attempts to direct them and
they collectively start all over again.
BY this time the neighborhood shelter
ing one of these young men, who has
learned by previous experience, all the
different shades and qualities OF tone
that can be produced with Home Sweet
Home, Marching Thru Georgia, and the
Last Rose Of Summer, is startled by
hearing "Up-Tom-Tum- Um- Tum- Tum''
from the same source and once more
begins to investigate. The result is
about the first band rehearsal night
every unoccupied man, boy and many
times women and girls are as close to
the band room as they can get and stay
until the last toot is footed.
The community has taken its first
lesson in the school of experience
known as community interest.
Soon the boys have mastered theil
first six or eight pieces and announce
that they will make their first publ.
appearance Saturday night, few
lanterns are hung on poles or held by
admiring friends and the boys go after
it, and considering the time they have
been at it, they make very creditable
showing and play with much vigor, ''P
S. Quick-step," "Our Drummers Fa
vorite," "Oh, have Sighed-To Res
Me-" sending a trombone over the
other side of town to play the duet. etc
and when the concert is over that town
feels that it has advanced into new
class-that of live town. The com
munity has taken its second lesson and
likes it. Community pride is the title
of the second lesson.
True, there were many discords ant
blur notes there, but also very true tina
80 percent of those listening could no