Harrisville Community Band to commemorate 60th anniversary
It turns out there isn’t that much of a difference between playing in a school band versus playing in a community band made up of adult musicians. Karen McKnight has been doing it for 60 years, at one point being a member of a high school and a community band at the same time.
McKnight joined the Harrisville Community Band in 1965 — it’s charter year — while she was still playing saxophone in her high school’s band.
As one of two musicians who have been with the band since its inception — the other being clarinet player Judy Critchlow — McKnight said she has stuck with it because of the enjoyment she gets from playing and performing alongside other instrumentalists. It’s the reason the Harrisville Community Band formed, after all.
“They started the band to give people with an intent to play music after high school or college the ability to play in the band,” McKnight said. “If you have a horn, it’s not like a piano. With a subtle instrument, you need to have others behind you or play in a group.”
The Harrisville Community Band will celebrate its 60th anniversary in spooky style, with a concert on Oct. 31 — the same date as the group’s first-ever concert in 1965.
“I’ve devoted a lot of my time to this band, and I don’t regret it,” McKnight said. “It has been a joy. It has benefited myself and many others.”
According to McKnight, there are currently about 40 active members of the Harrisville Community Band, but the number of people who have played with the group over its near 60-year history is possibly in the hundreds.
The band comprises the usual big-band instruments — like saxophones, trombones, trumpets, clarinets, flutes and percussion — but band members may take on additional roles to keep the group organized. McKnight, for example, is the librarian of the group, and has contributed financially to the band by purchasing music and other needs.
For the past 12 years, the band has been directed by Jim Jaskowak, a longtime music educator who retired from the Grove City Area School District in 2024. Despite his retirement from public schooling, Jaskowak said he still wants to be involved in public music through Harrisville’s band and a community band in Mercer County.
Jaskowak explained that as director, his role encompasses a lot more than just conducting the band at concerts.
“I help pick the music, and then we run the rehearsals so that everything fits together,” Jaskowak said. “People have contacted me, ‘Can you play here, can you play there?’ We help with planning our engagements.”
Despite the workload that comes with being a member of a community band — which the members are not paid for — musicians said it is all worth it when a concert comes together.
Don Wallace, a euphonium player who lives in Slippery Rock, has been with the Harrisville band for more than 20 years because it is one of the only regular opportunities available for him to play the instrument with others. That alone is worth the half-hour drive to rehearsals.
“I sometimes played in church, but I’m not in any other organizations or groups where I have an opportunity where I can continue to play my horn,” Wallace said. “This is a great opportunity for people who enjoy playing their instrument in the context of an entire group.”
Critchlow said that even though the clarinet carries the melody in many big band songs, it doesn’t feel complete without the backing of the rest of the instruments.
“Clarinet, it’s usually got the melody. It can play from a very low note to high notes,” she said. “Some of them are pretty hard. We play from fairly simple stuff to difficult pieces.”
As a euphonium player, Wallace said playing alone is a lot less satisfying than playing with a group. It’s because the euphonium’s parts in music are often paired with another instrument, holding down the bass of a song or sometimes playing the melody. Either way, it sounds better when the other instruments are playing their parts alongside the the instrument.
“Because of the range, which is the same as trombone, I’m often playing in unison with French horns; the same music that they’re playing,” Wallace said. “Sometimes I am playing with the trumpets, sometimes I’m playing in unison with the trombone. Because it’s got valves, you can play arpeggios and runs that can be very difficult on trombone.
“That to me makes the euphonium interesting to play.”
The Harrisville Community Band performed Friday evening, April 11, at the Harrisville Volunteer Fire Company. Despite coming up on its 60th anniversary, the band still aims to play tunes that people may recognize, some of which have been staples since the 1960s, when the band was founded.
The set list for the April 11 concert included selections like “Highlights from the Wizard of Oz,” “The Muppet Show Theme” and “An American Celebration.” McKnight said the concerts usually include songs that fit similar archetypes.
“We play marches, patriotic numbers, polka, spiritual and religious numbers, novelty, and a few classics,” McKnight said.
Depending on the time of year, the Harrisville Community Band might also throw in a holiday song, like “Joy to the World” at the band’s 2024 November show or “Stars and Stripes Forever” at a Fourth of July concert.
McKnight still has the song list from the band’s first concert in 1965 — it included songs like “Moon River,” by Henry Mancini, “Oh! Susanna,” by Stephen Foster, and “In the Good Old Summer Time,” by Nat King Cole.
McKnight said that the band used to march in parades until a few decades ago. The band now plays more standard concerts in places like fire halls and Grove City High School’s football field.
Jaskowak said it is exciting for the band members when the group is asked to gig at an event or perform for a holiday. Even just playing a new venue can keep participation in the band fresh, especially for longtime members of the group.
“Harrisville has been playing more around the area. People are coming to us and asking ‘Can you play here, can you play there?’” Jaskowak said. “Our members are pretty excited about playing these places, so that makes it a lot easier.”
Other than the ability to play with other instrumentalists at their own leisure, members of the Harrisville band said they have made friends through playing, and the camaraderie of the group is one of the best parts of involvement in the band.
“That’s a rewarding aspect, just the meeting with other people,” Wallace said.
Jaskowak said people don’t have to be a virtuoso to play with the Harrisville band — anyone can attend a rehearsal and get on the list to play concerts.
McKnight said she met her husband through the Harrisville Community Band, when the group played a square dance in 1966. In addition to making that connection, McKnight said she has made many others over her 60 years with the band, which has also improved the Harrisville Community Band playing experience.
“I think it’s been a great thing to continue to do,” McKnight said.
For more information on the Harrisville Community Band, including its upcoming rehearsals and performances, visit its website at harrisvillecommunityband.weebly.com.
