About the band
The Porter Falls Community Band started in 1948 as the Porter Falls Municipal Band, which played Sunday evenings in the bandshell where the Depot Plaza is now. In 1979 the band was down to nineteen players. Then the university offered it a rehearsal room and a percussion section, and it has been a town–gown band ever since. About a third of the members are Porter students, faculty or staff. The rest come from Porter Falls, Cedar Bluff and farther out. One trombonist drives 50 minutes each way from Lake City and has missed four rehearsals in eleven years.
The conductor is Marjorie Lindahl, who directed bands in the Porter Falls Area School District for 34 years. As she puts it, about half the band “learned to count from me, and some of them still haven’t.” The associate conductor is Grace Larsen, Professor of Practice in Music & Theatre.
The photo above shows the student Ironclad Pep Band, not the community band. The community band has neither the uniforms nor the gloves.
Rehearsals
- When: Tuesdays, 7:00–9:00 p.m., from the second Tuesday in September through mid-May. The band takes winter break off. A shorter summer season runs in June and July.
- Where: the band rehearsal hall, Applied Arts Building 112. Use the east entrance; it is propped open from 6:30 p.m.
- Parking: free after 4:30 p.m. in the general lots, and the Applied Arts lot is closest. See Visitor parking.
- What to bring: your instrument, a pencil and a stand light if your eyes are like ours. Music, stands and the large percussion are provided.
- Weather: if the university closes for weather, rehearsal is cancelled. The weather closures page is the source.
2026–27 concerts
| Date | Event | Where | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 11, 2026, 11 a.m. | Veterans Day Ceremony (with the university’s ceremony) | Memorial Plaza | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 13, 2026, 3 p.m. | Holiday Concert, with a sing-along that the band pretends is optional | Heritage Auditorium | Free; food pantry donations welcome |
| Sun., Mar. 7, 2027, 3 p.m. | Winter Concert: “Music from the Mill Town,” with marches by Porter Falls composers, 1890s–1930s | Heritage Auditorium | $8; students and under 18 free |
| Sat., Apr. 24, 2027, 10 a.m. | Open Campus Day welcome | Main quad | Free |
| Sun., May 2, 2027, 3 p.m. | Spring Concert, with the senior-member solo spot | Heritage Auditorium | $8; students and under 18 free |
| Tuesdays, June 15–July 20, 2027, 7 p.m. | Summer on the Plaza (six concerts; bring a chair) | Depot Plaza, downtown | Free |
Tickets for the two paid concerts are sold through the box office and at the door. The band’s concerts appear alongside the university ensembles in the 2026–27 arts season.
Joining
Anyone 16 or older who plays a wind or percussion instrument at about a high-school level is welcome. Lapsed players are welcome too, and the band has had several people return after 30 years away.
- Email the band and tell us your instrument and roughly when you last played.
- Sit in for two rehearsals. There is no audition. After the second rehearsal, the conductor suggests a part.
- Pay the $40 season dues, which cover music purchases and the summer bandshell rental. Dues are waived on request, and Porter students pay nothing.
The band especially needs French horns, a bassoon, low clarinets and anyone who owns a tuba. The music department lends a few school-owned instruments to members each year, first come. Porter students who want a graded ensemble should look at the Wind Symphony or the Ironclad Pep Band and the ensemble auditions page. Plenty of students play in both. Those who want to get back into shape can take lessons for non-majors.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. The Porter Falls Community Band, its history, conductor, members, concerts and dues are invented. There are no rehearsals to attend, though your old clarinet in the closet would probably like to be played anyway.