Day jobs to stages

For 34 years, the Moorestown Community Band has been committed to making a positive musical contribution to the community.

Originally known as Bob’s BANDits, the band was founded by the late Bob McCoy as part of the school district’s adult night program.

“For 34 years … so many people had no idea that we existed and we’re right underneath their nose,” said Michelle Gergich, the band’s musical director and conductor.

McCoy led the group until 2013, when he passed his baton to former conductor L. Bruce Smith. Smith increased the band’s presence in the community, adding concerts at venues around the county, including winter and spring concerts at the band’s rehearsal home, William Allen Middle School.

Gergich took over from Smith last June, and since then, the band has changed in character, said tenor saxophone player Angelo Aiello, who’s been with the group for almost 25 years.

“Michelle has put a lot of energy into this and imagination … and we’re better than we used to be,” Aiello noted. “ … She’s expanded our approach and our footprint in the town … We’re a good addition to a lot of different activities that they place in town that have a musical interlude.

“And we’re still growing.”

The band performed at township events this year that included Moorestown Day, Porch Fest, the strawberry festival at First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown and the Trinity Blueberry Festival. It also sponsored a day for undergraduate music education students that allowed participants to receive constructive feedback on conducting techniques; gain experience performing in front of a live, full concert band; and to take home a recording of their conducting sessions for further study and reflection.

“It was really fascinating to have these young students coming in …” Gergich said. “They had had some exposure maybe at their high school student conducting or doing their basic conducting classes in college, but they’ve never been in front of a large ensemble and they were like sponges. They were just ready to take in that instruction.”

The mission of the Moorestown Community Band – a group of volunteers from high-school students to seniors – is to provide an opportunity for musical expression, collaboration, growth and friendship among members and to enrich the cultural activities of the community by providing public concerts with audience appeal, among other goals.

The band is seeking donations to purchase a high-quality copier/scanner for operations and music library management. For more information, on the group or to donate, visit www.moorestowncommunityband.com.

“We really do try to have things for everybody” Gergich explained, “and this past year, we really did run a whole gamut of everything from serious concert works to things that you could sing along to and everything in between.

” … It’s inspiring to watch the band members go from their daily jobs and come together to play music.”