Our band was founded in 1986 as The Nanaimo Community Band by Ted Dawe, a former band teacher and professional musician. Over the years it has changed its format several times as membership fluctuated. We currently have both a concert and a dance band, a configuration that allows us to play a wide variety of types of music. Some members decide to play in both bands. Most band members live in Nanaimo, but we also have members coming from Parksville, Ladysmith, and Chemainus. Ages of players range from teenagers to seniors. The membership is made up of an interesting cross-section of people in the area and many of us have formed lasting friendships in band. With Ted's recent retirement from band activities, the Mid-Island Community Bands are now led by Jill Mont. We have a total of 34 rehearsals on Wednesday nights at NDSS during the school year, with a year-end concert the first week of June. We always welcome new band members, so feel free to come and check us out!