ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The summer will be here before everyone knows it, and this summer will see the return of the Liberal Community Municipal Band.
Last year was the group’s inaugural year, and director Andrew Johnson said he was very happy with the results.
“We had a pretty good showing last year – it was honestly more than I thought we would, and we had a lot of people from both inside the community and outside,” Johnson said. “We had some folks from Guymon come and join the band, and I think they were just looking for something to do and an opportunity to make music because out here, as far as playing a band instrument goes, there aren’t very many opportunities unless you start something up yourself, so that’s how and where we initially got the idea. We had high school students, and we had more professional musicians, and we had a pretty fair-sized band. It was a pretty solid group overall. I don’t think I could have asked for a better first season. We’re kind of new to this kind of thing as far as leading a community band, but Ben [Hogan] had been part of community ensembles before, and I’d also been part of some a long time ago. Ben definitely had more time in terms of being a member of a community orchestra. As far as being in charge and leading the group, it was kind of new territory for the both of us. We reached out to the Dodge City band and then the Garden City community band they have there as well to see how they do things, and we got some ideas to make this group really our own. We learned a lot, and we’re looking to do even more this year. Now that we kind of have our feet wet and have a season under our belt, we can start going into deeper water.”
The group is currently recruiting members for this coming summer, and Johnson said signing up is relatively easy..
“Anyone wanting to be in the band can reach out to me at my school email,
While the performances themselves are months away, Johnson said there are already some plans tentatively being made.
“We’re doubling the number of performances this year – last year, we did two, and we’re going to have four this year,” Johnson said. “We’re kind of looking at something similar to how they do some other things around here and start maybe around Memorial Day or shortly after than, and then go up until high school, band camp, which is when life gets pretty crazy for us again. I was also contacted by a member of the Kansas Army National Guard Band about doing the joint performance in early June – we’re still working on the details of that, but that’s kind of what we’re looking at to kick off our performance season, and for that show, we’d be in Maskus Auditorium. However, I want to emphasize that’s all currently pending, since they have their own tour to look at, and we also have to secure facilities and all that, so it’s still in the planning phase at the moment, but that’s something we’re trying to make happen for this year.”
With all of that in mind, Johnson said he hopes to see big audiences at the concerts.
“It’s a great group, and I know they’ll sound excellent. And especially for that potential Army National Guard band concert, people are going to hear some phenomenal musicians even better than us, and you might even hear a couple combined numbers as well,” Johnson said. “If this group is anything like last year, it’s going to be worth it to come out and have a listen and enjoy some music with people you care about.”
Johnson added he is excited to get the band back together.
“I love getting together and performing. I like working with people that are either professionals or former high school players, it’s a nice step up from what we do daily. We work with students, and they’re very good at what they do and very talented, but we also get professionals who completed college or they’re in college for music or in the college band. So it’s a bit of a step up, which is very nice,” Johnson said. “Last year, whenever we were trying to decide what music to give them, we weren’t sure what to expect, and at that first rehearsal, they just read everything on sight and did it well. So the ability level is definitely a step up from what we’re used to as public school teachers. If you miss making music, if you miss playing your instrument, this is for you. For people who maybe haven’t played for a while, this really is like riding a bike – it might take you a minute or two to kind of get that feel back, but it’s not really a skill you totally lose, and you’ll pick it up again quick. You get a free shirt out of the deal, and you get compensated for your time, both in rehearsal and in performance. Don’t count yourself out right away. If you have any interest, we will find a spot for you in the group. The worst thing you can do is not try, so I would encourage anyone with any interest to at least give it a shot. We’re really excited for this year’s group, I can’t wait to see how things turn out.”
