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Date: 10/7/2021
ENFIELD, CT - The Enfield Community Band has brought together musicians of all ages for about five years. In 2020, the band?s regular season was canceled due to COVID-19. Now, the Enfield Community Band is back and hosting its first ever fall session at JFK Middle School.
The Enfield Community Band is a program offered by Enfield Adult Education. In past years, the band was only offered in the spring. There will be both fall and spring sessions this year.
The band is a collective of musicians led by long-standing Enfield music instructor John Power. Horn players, percussion players, woodwind players and more are welcome in the band. Anyone from any playing level can join and there are no age limits.
"It's really interesting because you have retired music teachers, you have people in the community that are just starting out on an instrument and you have individuals who are music students who want additional experience working with older adults so that they can learn from them. So really it is truly a community band comprised of any party that has an interest in playing and a dedication in showing up," said Jamie Tardiff, assistant to the director at Enfield Adult Education.
Enfield Adult Education typically serves the towns of Enfield, Granby, Somers and Suffield. However, Tardiff said that their programs are open to all.
"We do not bar outside towns from participating in our programs and registration is open online at all times," she said.
The Enfield Community Band meets for 10 weeks on Monday nights. They hosted their first session on Sept. 20. According to Tardiff, Enfield Adult Education does not offer discounted rates for missing sessions, but interested participants are still encouraged to reach out.
"If somebody did want to pay that $50 fee they could certainly give me a call and I would expand that registration," she said.
The Enfield Community Band will also be offered again in January. Tardiff said that the Enfield Adult Education brochure with more information is mailed out to everyone in town around Thanksgiving. The brochure can also be found on their website.
In previous years, The Enfield Community Band hosted an end of season concert. Tardiff said that they are unsure if that will happen due to COVID-19. The band is following all necessary COVID-19 safety protocols such as requiring social distancing, horn caps and face masks upon arrival.
"We're working hard just to ensure that the meetings for the practices are COVID-19 safe and the end of season celebration is kind of still fluid, like most organizations I'm sure," she said.
Tardiff said that both her husband and children participate in the Enfield Community Band. She said that it is a close-knit group and that joining is beneficial for all.
"I think it's great fun and it taps into those portions of our artistic brain and even, really, the analytical side. They say that children that participate in music programs show a higher aptitude in math, so just imagine you're tapping into both your right and left brain at the same time. It's very rare that that happens. Only in creative applications like music," she said.
Those interested in more information on the Enfield Community Band are encouraged to visit https://enfieldadulted.sharpschool.com/ or contact Tardiff at 763-8809.