WILDWOOD – Community Band by the Sea, which channels the raucous, communal energy of Wildwood bands past, will host their annual free concert at Byrne Plaza on Saturday, July 29 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Josh Long, director of the band, has visited Wildwood since he was five years old. Though he was born after the heyday of community band, he has cultivated a fascination for defunct groups like the Wildwood Community Orchestra, the Greater Wildwood Drum and Bugle Corps, the Wildwood City Band, and most of all, the Wildwood Scrap Iron Band.
Cape May County still has a few community bands left, like the John Walter Band and the Angelus Community Singers, but the days of a dozen community bands per town are long gone.
Those old bands, sometimes on the payroll of local industry, would welcome visitors to Wildwood with brass and punchy percussion.
Various Slate Belt area bands from Josh’s hometown of Bangor, Pennsylvania, brought together slate miners who carried a passion for music on their backs. “When it would rain, they would all gather inside to play music together. That idea is deeply inspiring to me, watching people from all walks of life coming together to play an instrument to bring the joy of music to their communities,” Josh said.
Josh is a college instructor, Ph,D., and a community band teacher of many years. He founded a community band with his wife right after college – he hoped to cling to music as the tolls of adult life mounted ever higher.
He found joy in that band – so, on a trip to Wildwood, Josh wondered: why not start a community band here? Four years later, the Community Band by the Sea brings a once-a-year concert to five-mile island.
The band pools together players from across the east coast, including several locals. “People practice where they are, and then we iron out the kinks together in the days leading up to the concert,” Josh said. The band plays challenging pieces, including the Jersey Shore March, a rendition of Amazing Grace, and works from Henry Mancini.
Community bands were once “like the radio,” Josh said. “They were the only way that folks could listen to music. If you wanted to hear music, it had to be played live.”
The Community Band by the Sea – a full repertoire of brass, woodwind, and percussion – is what Josh called a “full concert band.” They are always looking for new players; they started with around 27 members, but this year, they will play with a mighty 40.
“We want local musicians to join us next year,” Josh said. But for now, be sure to come on out to the Community Band by the Sea’s annual performance on July 29 at 7 p.m.
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