Founding Member and Director on Sabbatical, Joe Riemer, discussed the 4000-strong community band movement in the United States and John Phillip Sousa in explaining how the Baldwin Pops Band came about in 1997. He was talking to the November meeting of “Men’s 710 Second Tuesdays,” a men’s breakfast and speaker program at Zion Lutheran Church of Silverhill. Joe’s community musical enterprise began with the hope that the initial band would attract 25 musicians with skills at a level 3 (scale of 1 to 6). It got 45 people that first year and now in 2004 has over 100 with band playing levels at 5 and 6 on that technical capability scale. All levels of expertise are welcome to work with the band which incorporates a broad range of musical talent, educators (five with PhDs) on one end of the musician continuum and people on a more novice level on the other (6 band members began playing in their 60s). No one is turned away and the band has enough sophistication to customize parts for the skill levels to be utilized. The result is a band the has a diverse level of playing ability which is capable of rather sophisticated music.
Musician commitment to the Baldwin Pops is well illustrated by John Allen, a chemical engineer turned tuba player who learned his instrument playing with students in the Fairhope Middle School after retirement. John passed away at band practice! (The Pops has established a student scholarship program in John Allen’s memory.)
The Baldwin Pops band is privately and publicly supported. Its musicians have been appreciated on the Fairhope bluff overlooking Mobile Bay with as many as 4000 people attending this community event. Concerts in Foley have exceeded the capacity of the Foley Civic Center for the Pops’ Christmas program. People love to hear the Pops. Programs at Gulf Shores and Daphne are now part of a music program that reaches into many parts of our county. Musicians come from Mobile to Pensacola to play in this enterprise. They have played in 90 concerts since the Pops was inaugurated. Non-concert musical presentations have included band music on the return of the 1155th and participation in the Veterans Day Parade. Readers will have an opportunity to hear this band in the near future on December 2, 2004 in Foley, December 6, 2004 in Daphne, and March 1, 2005 in Fairhope.
Musicians who joined the 1997 Baldwin Pops’ first season included Regina Bush, Tom Robinson (Director of Continuing Education at Faulkner State Community College), Borden Morrow, and Steve Sims (band director) along with Joe Riemer. Initial moral and financial support from Mayor James Nix of Fairhope, Doctors Gary Branch and John Borum of Faulkner State Community College, and Dean Mosher of the Fairhope Single Tax Colony Corp, helped establish the Pops’ financial support base that was in place and intact by the end of its first year. Steve Sims and Faulkner State encouraged the Pops with initial equipment and music.
Because the Baldwin Pops currently is comprised of a variety of band directors, music teachers, and professional and amateur musicians with membership open to all, it has been able to birth a number of specialty subgroups, e.g., “Swinging with the Pops,” “Dixie Land Band,” “Small Jazz Band,” “Ensemble,” etc. Think about 100 band members donating time to rehearse most Tuesday nights at the Fairhope Civic Center or High School! Think about guest soloists and directors as occasional guests as well! This reveals real commitment from musicians to the Baldwin Pops Band.
Joe Riemer presently resides in Fairhope.
