DMS band to perform Civil War-era tunes

C.S. Driver Middle School band students have been learning the songs and music of the Civil War era, as well as the role the music played during this chapter of American history, in preparation for an exciting upcoming collaboration.

Courtesy of Excelsior Cornet Band

The band will team up for a concert with the Excelsior Cornet Band at 7 p.m. Monday, May 13, in Marcellus High School’s Groeling Auditorium.

Admission is free and the performance is open to the public. 


From the Excelsior Cornet Band’s website:

Recreating the glorious sounds and appearance of this pivotal period in American history, the band performs the most popular melodies of the 1850-1870 period, as well as patriotic airs, operatic medleys, marches, and dance music by the era’s most renowned composers and bandmasters.

All of the band’s musical arrangements come from the band books of Civil War era bands, or are arranged from the original Civil War era sheet music.

The musicians of the Excelsior Cornet Band are professional performers with many years of experience in a wide variety of musical genres. They perform with an enthusiasm and polish that brings the music of the Civil War brass band era to life. Their uniforms authentically and accurately represent those of a typical early-war New York State Militia band."

The performance of the Excelsior band is made possible by a grant from the Arts Education Program of the New York State Council on the Arts. Arts Education Grants (art$TART) support the role that local cultural organizations and individual artists play in engaging K-12 public school students in rich, artistic learning experiences.