Are you ready to go out with your saxophone to make music with other people?
Playing sax in a community band is a fun way to improve your playing skills and musicianship and find a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie whilst sharing the joy of music with others. Steph Jackman shares her tips.
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Which Band?
There are lots of different bands out there, depending on where you live. Here are a few to look out for.
Concert Band
A concert band is a band that plays music written for players of all of the woodwind, brass and percussion instruments normally found in an orchestra, together with a full saxophone section. There are usually also parts for a string bass, a piano or even a harp.
A concert band can go by a confusing array of titles: wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind band, wind orchestra, symphonic band, symphonic winds, community band – or just plain “band.” The wind groups with symphony/symphonic/orchestra in the title tend to be larger, with multiple people playing each part. The community band is a very special type of amateur concert band (see below).
Concert bands usually rehearse for and play seated concerts, as opposed to marching bands, which of course march and perform on the move.
Beginner bands
Some concert bands have specialist beginner bands attached for novice players to gain experience before moving into the main band. These can be made up of adults that have never played an instrument before, those who played in high school many years ago and have had a long break away from playing, or experienced musicians that want to learn a new instrument.
If you’re interested in playing sax in a community band, a quick Google search of adult beginner bands or community bands should show you what is available locally.
In North America, the Second Chances Community Band Program and the New Horizons International Music Association have great programs in multiple cities.
In the UK, the Wind Band Directory and Making Music UK are a good place to start.
The Community Band
A community band is usually a concert band made up of volunteer amateur musicians, who rehearse regularly, perform concerts and share their music at events within their community. Other names could be the town or civic band. These bands bring together people of all ages, walks of life and abilities who just love music and want to play.
The more advanced level concert bands, which may require an audition for entry and have a fixed number of players on each part. However, many community bands welcome anyone who wants to play. Even if you play an instrument not usually represented in a concert band, you may be able to join a community band. For example, a violin player may cover the oboe part, a cellist may enjoy playing the bassoon part, or a bass guitarist may take the place of the string bass.
Often there doesn’t need to be a particular open spot for you to join. This is especially true in rural or small town locations. These community bands tend to have a flexible “the more the merrier” attitude.
In contrast, some concert bands, particularly those which hold auditions, may be looking to fill a set number of seats for players on each part. Most community bands are usually much more flexible.
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The saxophone section
So if you want to start playing sax in a community band what can you expect?
The saxophone section in a concert band usually has four different written parts: alto 1, alto 2, tenor and baritone sax. Sometimes there is also a tenor 2 part. And for classic band repertoire written before 1960 (composers such as Holst, Grainger, Bernstein and Souza) there can even be a bass sax part. Many bands will have several players on each part.
In some community bands, some parts may be missing altogether.
Soprano sax does not usually have a written part in a concert band score. However, one of the great things about the all-inclusive type of community band is that anyone keen to play can find a place. For example, soprano sax players can sound great covering a trumpet part. If there are already lots of alto saxes, one player might like to cover the Eb clarinet part. Or maybe one of several tenor sax players could enjoy playing a treble clef euphonium part. Perhaps there are several people playing one part who are not very confident yet, and find comfort in being one of many.
This flexibility in accommodating players within a community band not only makes it easier to welcome all new players, but can also give more experienced players a chance to play a different part that may otherwise have been missing.
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What kind of music does a community band play?
Community band repertoire is really varied, depending on the available instrumentation and playing level of the members. It can include modern and traditional symphonic works, military marches, concert band arrangements of folk, rock, pop and jazz songs, film and show music.
Benefits of playing sax in a community band
There are lots of benefits to mental health of playing music. Research has proven that musical training assists cognitive skills development, reduces stress, improves memory and develops creativity. Learning to play together with others in a band setting can enhance these benefits even further. In addition, you will be pushing your musicianship and playing abilities forward whilst building new friendships.
Lots of Sax School members enjoy playing sax in a community band. Sax School has hundreds of lessons and mini-courses to help you develop the skills you need. Take a look around inside our Members’ Area, Start today with Sax School