Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB) Facts (download PDF here)
At-A-Glance
- Established in 1965 with 16 members and has provided free concerts for Brevard County audiences for 43 years, creating a sense of community in the Melbourne area and making high-quality music available to many people and families who can not otherwise afford to attend live concerts.
- Today, MMB has more than 80 members and a dedicated team of volunteers. They are motivated solely by a love of music, a desire to perform public service, and their wish to make a positive contribution to the community.
- Some 30% are professional musicians; many performed in military bands and in well-known musical groups including the Lawrence Welk Orchestra
- Members include engineers, teachers, business owners, managers, accountants, homemakers, and retirees
- During a typical year, MMB serves some 69,000 concert attendees, and its members volunteer 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time. The value of this in-kind service to the community is between $500,000 and $1 million.
- MMB also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts, ceremonial performances, and involvement in educational activities for young musicians such as the Police Athletic League (PAL)/MMB Summer Music Camp
- MMB offers a varied program of classical music, show-tunes, patriotic music, big band jazz, marches, and sing-a-longs MMB retains a professional conductor and a librarian
- The MMB is a 501c3 Not For Profit Corporation
Goals
- To promote the enjoyment of quality band music
- To contribute to the American cultural experience through concerts and patriotic music
- To give free concerts to our community
- To promote the appreciation of Big Band Jazz through Swingtime concerts and dances
- To contribute to the musical education of our members and audiences
MMB Groups
- Concert Band (with more than 80 regular members)
- Swingtime Jazz Band (playing “Big Band” music from the 1920s to the 1970s)
- Sunshine Brass Quintet
- The Oh Golly Dixieland Jazz Band
MMB History
The Melbourne Municipal Band has been a source of enjoyment to our community since its inception on July 22, 1965. On that date, 16 musicians gathered in the Melbourne Tourist Center with A. V. “Chick” Catterton, a musicloving Melbourne resident who had conceived of the idea of a city band. In 1985, Catterton retired and William A. Clark became the interim director.
In 1987, Clair Christy was selected to be Principal Conductor. Christy’s enthusiasm pushed the organization to excel and attract more than 80 members. Many accomplished musicians choose to retire here, in part, due to the band and its auxiliary groups.
MMB Swingtime was formed in 1988 by Christy. This popular “Big Band” puts on a dance nearly every month, and it serves as the main fundraising arm of MMB. Thanks to a large, anonymous contribution and massive fund-raising efforts led by the then-President of the band, Julia D. Good, a large rehearsal hall was built in 1995. In 2007, the band honored her by naming the rehearsal hall after her.
The band has played in many Central and South Florida cities for parades, dedications, Bicentennial events, NASA, Third Century America (Cape Canaveral), grand openings, ball games, benefit concerts for high school bands to procure uniforms, Municipal and Chamber of Commerce activities, senior citizen projects and Honor America projects and events.
For more information, visit www.mmband.org or call the band office at: 724-0555
