The Benefits of Community Bands to Adult Musicians

            There is little dispute that music is an important part of education for children.  However, music is just as important for adults.  One of the best ways an adult can be involved in music is to play with a local community band.  There are community band of all shapes, sizes, missions and values throughout the United States.  Why is playing in a community band so important for adults?  Here are just a few of the reasons:

            Music keeps your mind sharp.  It encourages active problem-solving and critical thinking skills.  Music reading works a lot like math, but in a more abstract way.  Performing music in an ensemble helps increase concentration improves reaction time to various stimuli- from the conductor’s baton, from printed music and from aural cues.

            Community bands are a great social outlet.  In any community band you will find a group of people of different backgrounds who gather sharing a common interest: the making of music.  I have made long-lasting friendships as a result of my participation on community band rehearsals.  Community band concerts are also a great social outlet for your friends and family, and provide a night of high-class artsy entertainment for the audience.

            Making music is a great stress reliever.  How often do you come home from work feeling tired or fatigued?  While a night out on the town may be fun, it can be more exhausting to our bodies than other choices.  Community band rehearsals are my weekly retreat from the mundane and I find myself more relaxed and energized at the end of each rehearsal than I would from any other after-work activity.

            Making music is a creative outlet.  Many of us do not have a job in which we can express ourselves artistically or creatively on a day-to-day basis.  Music allows us to make beautiful art with sound and community bands allow us to make this art with others.

            Community bands are a great place for a number of reasons.  Don’t be afraid if you haven’t played in years- members are typically helpful and many adult community bands have many in their ranks who hadn’t played since high school when they came back to band.  Consider looking up some local community bands today.  Some great resources include the Lesbian/Gay Band Association, which has member bands in nearly every major city and the Association of Concert Bands.