NBA NEWS
COMMUNITY BAND ACTIVITY IN 2021
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BY MICHAEL BURCH-PESSES
his time last year we all were hoping that Covid-19 was on the wane and we would be back to “normal” by spring. We were severely disappointed when the Delta variant hit the country and the rest of the world hard in the summer, further delaying the recovery and any return to normalcy. As I write this, vaccinations for children ages 5 and up have been approved, and as more people become vaccinated, the virus is slowly receding.
activities on hold until after the first of the year.
The same precautions that were put in place in the spring of 2019 remained in effect in 2021 in most areas:
THE ASSOCIATION OF CONCERT BANDS – CELEBRATING ITS 44TH YEAR The Association of Concert Bands (ACB) is the largest organization dedicated to community bands, and as such is a good barometer of what happened in the past year to these bands:
• Wearing masks when we’re away from home
• Using hand sanitizer/washing our hands frequently • Maintaining a 6-foot distance from each other • Staying home if we have any symptoms of COVID-19
All these restrictions, plus the closing of businesses, stores, recreational facilities, and other buildings, resulted in a serious reduction of activities in the community band world. Bands that depended on rehearsal space in churches and schools found themselves without a place to rehearse as the weather turned colder, and most of them put their WI NT ER 2022
There are, however, some bright spots. Bands in some parts of the country were allowed to rehearse and perform in late 2021 despite restrictions elsewhere, and community band performances began to come back to life. The bands with whom I’ve spoken hope to resume rehearsals and performances after the first of the year, and they’re keeping their fingers crossed that their plans will come to fruition.
• There currently are 589
member bands, compared to 613 last year. Likewise, there are 1217 individual members, compared to 1292 a year ago. Those losses are attributed to Covid, and the hope is that these numbers will increase as the virus recedes. Most member bands hoped to have a Christmas concert, but were prepared to wait until 2022 to resume activities.
• ACB has 22 corporate
Michael Burch-Pesses is Distinguished Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, and teaches courses in conducting and music education. He enjoyed a distinguished career as a bandmaster in the United States Navy before arriving at Pacific University. During his Navy career he served as Leader of the Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Maryland, Assistant Leader of the Navy Band in Washington, DC, and Director of the Commodores, the Navy’s official jazz ensemble. Dr. Burch-Pesses also is the Conductor and Musical Director of the awardwinning Oregon Symphonic Band, Oregon’s premier community band. In 2006 the band performed at the Midwest Clinic, and in 2007 the John Philip Sousa Foundation awarded the band the Sudler Silver Scroll, recognizing them as one of the outstanding community bands in the nation. He is the author of “Canadian Band Music: A Qualitative Guide to Canadian Composers and Their Works for Band,” and is a regular contributor to the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series. He also is a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician.
members, four fewer than last year, including music publishers. The publishers were hit hard when music purchases dropped drastically due to the virus.
• ACB has continued with their
virtual series, ACB Connects!, with sessions on how to create
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