A Defense of Community Arts Groups

So recently I swapped from performing in a community band to a university band again. And I have to say. I'm not loving it. Being a part of my previous band was awesome, everyone was welcoming and focused on making music together. And now I'm back with auditions and seat placements and music majors and everything else. Granted, community bands are incredibly variable in environment and quality and not every group will be like the one I was in. But at the same time, they all have a lot in common just by necessity since they are all community groups and are primarily consisted of non-professional musicians.

Being a non-professional musician or a volunteer means that you are taking your own free time and dedicating it to music. No one is requiring this of you, this is something that you want to do of your own free will. To contrast, often students are required to take an elective or to reach a certain number of credits. For the vast majority of those in university bands, passion is not the motivating factor for whether or not they are in a band. But I would say that it factors highly in community bands.

Then there's the auditions. University bands are a learning environment, and therefore we need a motivation for learning. Thus the auditions. Even if you aren't cutting people, most of the time you still need to record yourself and submit it. Which is just as nerve-wracking. I have yet to be a part of a community group that had auditions. And the difference in tone is incredible. Everyone is so much more relaxed in a community group and less cut-throat since they aren't in competition with each other for seats and solos and all that. In addition, it makes it more welcoming so you get a more diverse group of people. Just started playing again after several years? Sure come to rehearsal! Don't want to practice too much but want to make art in your spare time? Come through! The result is a lot of people of many different backgrounds and abilities that join together in one ensemble.

I never thought that diversity of a group would make or break whether I liked it, but then I made this transition from a diverse community band to a homogenous university band. Walking in the first day of jazz band and realizing that there was only one other girl and that 95% of the group was white was one hell of a wake up call. I didn't feel comfortable or really accepted in that setting. And I'm white, I haven't even historically been excluded from these spaces, imagine how minorities feel!

To conclude this rant, there are several issues that I have with my current band and many reasons why I prefer the community band setting. Maybe I have yet to find my group. I hope I do eventually, or at least figure out a way to improve the band that I'm in.