Flint Citadel Band
From Sawiki
About The Band
The history of the Flint Citadel Band runs parallel with the history of the City of Flint. The Salvation Army began its work in Flint on July 26, 1893. At that time, Flint was referred to as "The Vehicle City", with its citizens being mainly occupied in the manufacture of horse-drawn vehicles.
In 1904, the Buick Motor Company moved from Jackson, Michigan to Flint. To secure the necessary skilled personnel, advertising was conducted in engineering centers in both Canadian and American cities. Among the first new arrivals to be employed by Buick were four Salvationist bandsmen from Canada.
It was not long before other Salvationists began arriving to find jobs, from Brantford, Canada; Perth, Scotland; Keighly, Leeds, Hasting, and Plumstead, England; and Belfast, Ireland. It was natural that these former bandsmen from other countries would attend The Salvation Army and organize a band in 1905.
There were ten men and two women in the original Flint Citadel Band, organized under the leadership of Bandmaster Orval Shoemaker, but soon many others joined the ranks. Shortly after its official installation, the band made its first tour, visiting cities in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
In 1914, the band, under the leadership of Bandmaster David Nock, travelled to London, England for the great Salvation Army Congress. The original plans were to travel with the Canadian Staff Band on the ship, "The Empress of Ireland", but these arrangements were canceled, and the band traveled to New York and sailed with the American delegation. (In the early hours of May 29, 1914, the Empress of Ireland was struck by another ship and sank in fourteen minutes. Only eight members of the Canadian Staff Band survived. 109 Salvation Army officers drowned. The few survivors told how the Salvationists, finding there were not enough life-preservers for all, took off their own belts and strapped them upon even stronger men, saying, "I can die better than you can.") They practiced daily on the trip, and President Theodore Roosevelt often listened to their rehearsal. Some weeks after its return, the band was invited by the President to take part in a reception in his honor in Detroit.
In more recent years, the band has travelled to cities in the eastern United States, the Midwest, and Canada. The Flint Citadel Band has given continuous service to God and Man since that time, 52 weeks a year.
The 47 members of the Flint Citadel Band are all volunteers, with no one being paid, including the Bandmaster. The membership is diverse in age, from 15 to 70+ years. Occupations range from high school students to retirees. There are teachers, nurses, engineers, homemakers, bankers, skilled trades, and other professional employment among the members of this all-brass band. The Flint Citadel Band is also a family affair, with six pairs of spouses, and ten men and women with sons or daughters who also play in the band. All personnel of this band are active members of The Salvation Army Church, located in Downtown Flint, Michigan. While the personnel of the band during the early years came as a result of immigration from other countries, the majority of the current members are products of the Youth Band program at The Salvation Army.
During the month of December, ensembles from the band will play Christmas music in various shopping malls around Flint to raise money for The Salvation Army Christmas effort.
