Iron County Band is looking for members.
CASPIAN -- The Iron County Band has been a summertime staple for decades, performing at concerts and other events in the area. Now, however, they're seeing a dramatic decrease in the number of performers interested in being a part of the band.
They've got a big band sound, but not enough members. Since the Iron County Band started practicing for their summer season a few weeks ago, they've only had between five and seven people show up for reharsals and that's not enough to do their music justice.
"Ideally, it'd be nice if we had our full 20-piece band again, which somehow we scrape that up for concerts because we do have other area band directors that help us," said Dawn Holt, the band's director.
So why the lack of interest?
Band officials feel that the economy plus busy schedules during the summer months have a lot to do with it. In addition, many people don't realize that Iron County even has a band.
"So that's another thing I think why we've cut down so much is there's just not the exposure there used to be," Holt said.
They're encouraging new members to show up for their Tuesday rehearsals, especially younger players. You don't need to be a professional in order to be with the band either.
"Just have an instrument and an interest in playing and willingness; if it's harder than you can sight-read, to work on it at home," said Pat Wensel, the band's secretary and first clarinet player.
The band's greatest need right now is trumpetists and other horn players, however, no player will be turned away.
If you're interested in making music with the Iron County Band, simply show up to one of their rehearsals on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Iron County Historical Museum's main building.