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The Loades of Music Concert Band is back to in-person rehearsals

After a two-year hiatus due to pandemic, rehearsals resume at Cedar Park Church
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The Loades of Music Daytime Concert Band, pictured here in a 2018 concert at The Waterford, is back rehearsing after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After two years of pandemic-related inactivity, The Loades of Music Daytime Concert Band is back and on the hunt for brass, woodwind and percussion players to join their spring session.

The band’s director, Roger Loades, is pleased to report they are expecting around 35 to 38 members returning to rehearsals, which is only a few less than their approximate 40 members before they shut down when the pandemic started.

And for only $20 and proof of double vaccination, interested seniors can join them – all you need is your instrument and a music stand.

“We will practice into the end of June, and then we will take summer off, and then we’ll go back and start again in September. We’ll do our Christmas concerts [during that session] around Ladner and the seniors’ homes and Tsawwassen,” says Loades.

The band plays a variety of music styles, from Broadway to pop to classical, and are specifically looking for more brass instrument players.

“If you play an instrument that is not a harmonica or a violin, just come. We provide all the music ... and our fees are exceptionally low,” he says with a laugh.

The most exciting part of returning to rehearsals is actually getting to see one another again, says Loades, and socialize as they did before the pandemic.

The band is also looking forward to playing music for others again, which they got a glimpse of last week when they invited a group of kids from Sprouts Early Learning to come watch their rehearsal.

Thankfully, there was not a single boo from their audience, says Loades.

The Loades of Music Daytime Concert Band is composed of players from South Delta and beyond, even as far as Deep Cove, and some players are part of multiple bands.

If you’re interested in potentially joining the band, Loades encourages folks to drop by one of their rehearsals on Fridays at Cedar Park Church in Ladner from 1-3 p.m. to get a taste of what they’re doing.