Columbia Community Band plays for two decades

Conductor Bill Ackerman Photo by Guy White

Comfortable khakis and white shirts replaced the stiff high school band uniforms of their past. The instruments they tuned up recently were their own, not school supplied. What hasn’t changed at all over the years for the 80 musicians who comprise the Columbia Community Concert Band is their love of music, love of playing.

They gave one of their six performances of the season on the lawn of Shandon Presbyterian Church last Saturday afternoon. They have done this for more than two decades.

Director/conductor Bill Ackerman, who helped found the band in 1981, said they all had a good experience in a high school or college band somewhere in their pasts and just want to keep on playing.” He was asked to start the group for local musicians who possessed a “wealth of talent.”

Trombonists: (l–r) John Thompson, Stephen Crowell, Bob Knox, DavidAppleby, Bill Phares, and Michael Bellon Photo by Guy White To get to band practice on time, the musicians leave law, engineering, insurance, real estate offices, classrooms, and chapels. “We also have a pharmacist, office manager, bus driver, computer programmers, all kinds of professions represented,” Ackerman said.

As the two decades have elapsed since the band formed, more and more of the members have become retirees. “We have one musician who is retired from the Air Force, a retired pastor, teacher, and more are retiring every year,” said Ackerman.

The band can boast one emeritus member. “Paul Pickens has been with us from the beginning,” recalled Ackerman. Pickens was the treasurer for many years. He founded the Wild Irish Band that plays in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The band has traveled to Europe several times. Many of the concert band musicians are also in that band. Pickens is a veteran of a WWII Army band.

Only a few of the members could be considered professionals in the musical sense, although about a half dozen play in dance bands around town.

The band rehearses weekly in the band room at Airport High School, in the school district where Ackerman directed a junior high school band for many years. Maintaining those ties has been very beneficial to the band, because paying for rehearsal space would be prohibitive for the non–profit group. Ackerman said the band does accept donations.

Ackerman is an oboe player and manager of the Seven Oaks branch of Star Music Company.

“Our repertoire includes a lot of standards, Broadway show and movie tunes, so we can use a lot of the same music year after year. We have band members who are accomplished at arranging, and we hope to perform some of their arrangements this year, so we will be looking at acquiring new music.”

The band’s next performance is scheduled for October 10 at the State Fair.