The Greater Cleveland Concert Band
It is a show centering around a Disney theme and is titled “Touched by Disney Magic.” The story centers around an older couple going down memory lane. The performance is free to the public but, conductor Don Bindrum says, donations are very welcome.
In response to last month’s tornado destruction, the concert will now be a benefit to those who were affected by the storms as well as a dedication to honor the volunteers and respondents who risked their lives during the emergency. All donations made at the concert will go to the Salvation Army’s relief effort.
“This is what we are about. I want to perform community service through musical performance,” Bindrum said.
For the past five years the Greater Cleveland Concert Band has been providing the area with entertainment, allowing local musicians a welcoming environment to come and practice their craft.
Currently the concert band has around 60 active members with a range of age and musical experience. Participants can vary from former music educators to high school students.
Twice a year the concert band puts on a community performance that is written, produced and directed by the band’s conductor, Don Bindrum.
“You remember playing in school, you had an hour or so to practice every day, five days a week for a few months to prepare for an upcoming concert. We put one of our concerts on with about 10 practice sessions,” explained Bindrum.
Members gather every Monday at 7 p.m. at Cleveland High School for a practice session.
The concert band does not aim to be the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra. Instead, their mission is to put a smile on the faces of those attending.
In order to accomplish that goal the band performs fun and unique shows. The band’s last performance took the traditional Christmas concert and turned it into a production called “Spend the Holidays with Us,” where the band performed songs from many major holidays throughout the year.
“Everyone in this band just loves to play, so we try to make it fun and entertaining for both the band and the audience. It’s supposed to be an ‘edutainment’ experience for everyone,” Bindrum said.
Along those lines, the community band partners with both Cleveland State Community College and Lee University to provide band members a constructive musical learning environment.
Students from both colleges participate in the band and provide instruction to those members who have been away from music for awhile or are relatively new to it.
Bindrum explains that community concert bands are important for the area because they provide a place for people to play something other than church music.
He also says a lot of people lose musical direction after school. After people graduate they lose their place to practice and perform and usually move on from a hobby and pursuit they once really enjoyed.
To strengthen the concert band, members of the Community Jazz Band are folded into the ensemble to provide support and an extra dimension to the music.
The jazz band has been going for around three years and consists of the concert band’s core members, around 20.
Much like the composition of the concert band, the jazz band features a variety of ages and musical experience.
While the concert band takes the summer off, the jazz group meets year-round every Thursday at Bindrum’s music store, Tooters.
The musicians perform at a variety of different events for donations in support of local music programs. However, most of these performances are out of town. They haven’t experienced a lot of interest lately from Cleveland and are hoping for expansion in this area.
These band are important to Bindrum, and he sees his work with the bands as his way of giving back to his community and promoting the importance of music.
That is why people are welcome to join the community band and experience a supportive place to learn and grow as musicians.
Those interested in playing with or hosting one of the community bands can contact Bindrum at Tooters or can email gccbands@gmail.com for more information.
