When the Barrie Concert Band takes to the stage for its annual Christmas show in December, there will be more to its makeup than just music stands and instruments.
Within the 55-member group run some strong community and deep familial ties.
Meet sisters Jane Maxwell of Barrie and Joan Maxwell-Gimpoli of Newmarket. Both started their musical careers in the Barrie Central Collegiate high school band.
Jane chose the saxophone and Joan opted for percussion in grades 8 and 9.
Why those instruments?
“A mouth full of braces precluded a lot of instruments and a friend offered to teach me the sax," Jane says.
Joan tried the flute for two weeks. “I hated it and said no wind instruments for me and I was intrigued by the mallets of the drums.”
Jane is very proud of her ties to the school band.
“The Barrie Central Band was a very big deal in its day," she said of the band started in 1938 by W.A. Fisher. "Our dad, Don Maxwell, was also a Central alum playing flute and piccolo. He was also president of the band at one time. Our grandfather served as tour director at one time.
"We grew up with stories about the band.”
Joan adds: “Lots of our relatives also played in the school band, so it was just a natural thought that we would, too.”
Aside from a few years off for career and family commitments, Jane picked her sax back up and sat in with the band again beginning in 1984. Joan returned as a percussionist in 2015 after a 28-year hiatus.
That community bond runs deep, with at least 10 members of the current band having been members of the Barrie Central Collegiate high school band.
The Barrie Concert Band, under the directorship of Peter Voicey, practises once a week.
What keeps drawing the sisters back to band?
Jane says: “It is the one creative outlet I have. We wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love to play music. It's also about working as a team with other people and the friendships we’ve made.”
Joan agrees. “I’m always going to be a Barrie girl at heart and there’s something about sharing experiences with people of a similar background. I feel like there would be a big void if I ever stopped playing.”
Both agree it is a labour of love.
But any regrets? The sisters have none.
However, Joan says her husband, who often serves as her roadie, setting up the drum sets, cymbals and chimes, has asked a time or two, “Why couldn’t you have chosen the flute or piccolo?”
The band celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019 and shows no signs of winding down. New members of all ages are always encouraged.
The next performance of the Barrie Concert Band is Dec. 8 at Collier Street United Church as they perform traditional and current holiday tunes in A Christmas Fantasy.
For more information, visit www.barrieconcertband.org.
