Riverdale Community Band

You need not be a resident of Riverdale, just willing to play an instrument and are over 12 years of age

Rehearsals:     Wednesdays at 6:00pm and Saturday at 9:00am.

                      Riverdale Community Center on Parker Drive, just off 4400 in Riverdale.

 

Contact:         Jaunett Porter: (801) 392-9574 or (801) 621-6084

                      Sara (Nye) Morris: (801) 394-5235 or asmorris@networld.com

 

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ALAN MURRAY/Standard-Examiner
Kevin Higgs, shown reflected in a tuba, practices with the Riverdale Community Band, which recently was organized, at Jaunett Porter’s prompting.

Strike up the band

City resident makes music with neighbors

Thr, Apr 1, 2004

By VICKY C. MORTON
Standard-Examiner correspondent

RIVERDALE -- On any given Wednesday evening or Saturday morning, Riverdale residents entering the Community Center can hear the distant bom, bom, bom of their very own band.

The music begins to take shape farther down the hall as the sounds of trumpets, clarinets, flutes and a keyboard join the deep sounds of the two tubas and a trombone. Though the group has only been together for about three and a half months and is still gaining members, a patriotic medley of tunes such as "My Country 'Tis of Thee" gradually can be distinguished.

Opening the doors to the senior citizen room, an average of 10 to 15 members of this hodgepodge band can be seen doing their best to stay together, though each member varies drastically in experience. Some members are still in junior high; some are in college. Others haven't picked up an instrument in more than 15 years, while some have decades of experience and play half a dozen instruments.

A closer look shows the conductor, Jaunett Porter, who approached Riverdale City late last year about forming a band that hopefully will march in parades and host a concert series each summer at the city's new outdoor amphitheater.

Riverdale snatched up the opportunity. The city agreed to sponsor the band and so far has donated music stands, sheet music and practice space in the Community Center twice a week. "They've just been so supportive," Porter said.

Inspiration for the idea came from Porter's experience more than 10 years ago in a town just south of Los Angeles called Norwalk. Though Norwalk is about 18 times the size of Riverdale, Porter decided the concept of a community band open to anyone who wants to play could be adopted in Utah as well. "I was really impressed with what it did for me and the community," Porter said of the Norwalk band.

In fact, the area became so involved and honed its skills so well that it played for the Queen of England. Riverdale's band may be a long way from that distinction, but it's making progress. "I'm really pretty impressed with the sound," Porter said. "We're having all kinds of fun."

ALAN MURRAY/Standard-Examiner
Porter conducts the Riverdale Community Band during rehearsal at the Community Center.

The one thing holding the band back is the lack of a percussion section. To fill the void, Kevin Higgs, who has 33 years' experience with multiple band instruments, temporarily has been playing both the tuba and the drums as best he can.

Unless someone with knowledge of the drums joins the band, Jaunett Porter's son, Aaron Porter, is learning how to play. However, the drums are much different from the instrument he's used to -- the guitar.

"I don't think it'll be too hard," he said. "It's just keeping the beat."

And when the going gets tough, the band members are all there to offer support and encouragement.

At one point during his first attempts at playing the drums, Aaron Porter exclaimed in frustration, "I'm too stupid to do this!" The other players told him not to give up, and Higgs offered to show him where he was tripping up.

"You are the best guitar-playing drummer I've ever seen," Jaunett Porter laughed.

The band's struggles and the effort each member puts into making the music work despite it all adds a unique flavor to the group and a camaraderie that develops more each practice session.

"I love to see people supporting the arts," Jaunett Porter said.

She's encouraging everyone she knows to take the time to get involved and use this outlet to develop and share their talents, whether they have multitudes of experience or not. And whether they have a baby sitter or not.

Candice Porter, Jaunett's daughter, volunteers her services as a baby sitter and happily plays with all the children who need attention.

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