The Four Corners Community Band is about to take another dive into this year’s holiday sounds, and they seek newcomers to join, setting the stage for all ages with their new tagline “Connecting Generations Through Music,” as they like to say from high schoolers to octogenarians.
Ann Streett-Joslin, The Four Corners Community Band’s treasurer, said that this winter’s practice will begin Monday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Cortez. From then on every practice will be held on Mondays.
For those who are interested and instrumentless, the band offers instruments on loan, making it accessible for those who didn’t think it was possible.
Since 2000, the community band has served the Four Corners region with music from a diversity of genres and performing melodies to onlookers.
“People say ‘band,’ and they think of the three-piece combo, but we’re a band band,” Streett-Joslin said. “In the summer, we play a lot of (John Philip Sousa) marches.”
Sousa was an American composer in the Romantic era who is known for the military marches he wrote, including the national military march, The Stars and Stripes Forever.
Although they play marches, the band also chooses to have fun with different styles. Last March, they hosted A Night at the Movies at the Baptist Church. The band’s director Karen Steele, who has been a music educator throughout her career, directed the band to play music from the “Sound of Music,” “Star Wars” and “The Avengers.”
They also play throughout the year at different events – the Rico Parade, Escalante Days and the Fourth of July in Centennial Park.
Streett-Joslin, who plays clarinet, said there’s close to 35 committed volunteer band members, but they’re welcoming new players if they have high school-level music knowledge.
“We could use a couple more clarinets,” she said.
She said that although she began playing the clarinet in fourth grade, there were years in between where she didn’t play.
She moved to Dolores 15 years ago from Fort Collins and five years into her time here someone she met at the Cultural Center invited her to join the band. Now retired from the computer center she worked at and teaching horseback riding, she was able to commit to the band and has been part of it for 10 years.
Streett-Joslin said that the fact that the group has a common interest is a significant reason why this band is important for her.
“When we sit in a quiet room and the director has us begin to make music, it’s like bam! we’re part of it,” she said.
This winter season, the band starts up with a bang at the Veterans Day salute on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. at Vista Grande Nursing Home.
They then take a plunge into the holidays for three Christmas programs:
- Dec. 9 at the American Legion Toy and Candy Giveaway at the Cortez Cultural Center at noon.
- Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery Luminaria at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9.
- First Baptist Church of Cortez at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 for the formal Christmas program.
All programs are free to the public.
The band practices on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. at 100 N. Market St., home of the First Baptist Church of Cortez. The first practice will be Oct. 2.
For those interested or have questions, email 4cornerscommunityband@gmail.com for more information.
