Concert bands are magnets for people everywhere. A concert band strikes up a piece of music in a park, and people are drawn to it. A concert band marches in a parade, and people are stirred to march in time with it. The band's uniforms look splendid and crisp, and people cannot help moving in time with the music and large sound.
Military concert bands have inspired people to join. People are proud to wear their uniforms. Their music has lent stamina to marchers. Their performances have lent gravity and emotion to ceremonies.
In Lambton County, concert bands have been around since people have moved here. People in every community have been inspired to put some sort of music group together. The presence of the military in Lambton County fostered that. The military wore handsome uniforms, and they needed music to accompany their assemblies and marches and special events. And with the variety of instruments, concert bands have emerged to the delight of community residents and the pride of community leaders.
As communities in Lambton county formed, interest in having a band seemed to have momentum in every community. Alvinston, Inwood, Watford, Petrolia, Arkona, Thedford, Forest, and Sarnia all had concert bands. Since many of the early settlers of these communities were ex-military, bands had been an essential part of their military service lives, so it seemed necessary for civilian life too. These bands all had flashy uniforms, and the community usually contributed funds annually to keep the bands going. Funding tended to include instruments and music. The bands typically played in town throughout the summer, and they were a drawing card for people to come into town on a summer evening to enjoy the music and maybe do some shopping. Usually, a town or a town business would contribute funds for a bandstand in the town centre to be built and used by the band. And there were competitions/tattoos in all the county towns for the bands with corresponding prizes to be won and shown off.
To be in the band felt prestigious. You got to show off in front of an audience. You got to be immersed in music that was inspiring and melodic and carried you away; as a member of the band, you were right in the middle of it. You got to wear a gorgeous uniform and stand out. You got to produce a sound that was not just yours but a melding of a number of other musicians and instruments, and that was just plain beautiful. And being in the band meant getting to know others who enjoyed the music just like you did. But the band took a lot of work as well. You needed to practice your instrument daily on your own if you wanted to be a valuable contributor to the band. You also needed to attend band rehearsals that took up at least one evening per week. And you needed to be willing to travel to concerts where you would need to help set up and take down the concert trappings. Sometimes that travel also required time off work.
The bandmaster or conductor of the band not only chose the music and directed the band. They were also the motivator of the band. Without a bandmaster, a band tended to disintegrate. The optimum scenario was to have a bandmaster employed full time or almost full time in some sort of music position, so leading the band was like an extension of their job. Otherwise, jobs and life would get in the way, and then the bandmaster would have that position for a short time and then leave.
There were three long time, striking bandmasters in Lambton county. William Brush led the Sarnia Citizens Band and got paid by the band and also was paid for leading the music and playing organ at a local church. Percie Cox led the Petrolia White Rose Band and was employed by the Canada Oil Company. Art Christmas led the Bluewater Symphonic Band and was paid for teaching at a Sarnia high school.
All of these bandmasters were excellent musicians, being able to play more than one instrument. William Brush trained on cornet. When he lived in Sarnia, he also played organ and violin. Percie Cox also trained on cornet and he gave lessons on all instruments in the Petrolia White Rose Band. Art Christmas was a trumpet player, although, like William Brush and Percie Cox, he could play any band instrument.
And they were stern taskmasters for the bands they led, aiming at excellence in both music and decorum. That included both musical ability and attention to neatness in concert dress.