Toot your own horn: On one-year anniversary, B-U Community Band invites new members to chime in

Beckie Boyd
February 6, 2025

BUCKHANNON – Do you know the instrument from high school band tucked away in a closet that you haven’t touched in years?

Yes, you know the one. Dust it off, tune it up and bring it to your first practice with the Buckhannon Community Band!

That’s right – in celebration of its one-year anniversary, the Buckhannon Community Band is accepting new members. The ensemble is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that came to fruition when local music enthusiasts, spurred by the awe-inspiring 2023 World Association of Marching Show Bands Championship, decided to get together and form the band.

Building on the positive energy, community support and diverse range of music WAMSB brought to Buckhannon, BJ Hoffman and Taylor High – co-founders of the BCB – joined forces to organize the Buckhannon Community Band so they could share their love of music with friends, neighbors and musicians of all skill levels.

“Our big dream is that our name is recognizable where people know we are a go-to,” Sheila Zickefoose, president of BCB, told My Buckhannon. “We’re here about music and arts in this community and making it shine.”

The band gathers for harmonious melodies and laughs in the Buckhannon-Upshur High School Band Room every Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; however, the schedule is subject to change. Currently, the band boasts approximately 25 talented musicians who hope to expand the band’s membership after what members say is one truly unforgettable year of playing throughout Upshur County.

“To be able to come back to B-UHS and be a part of a group – we stop, and we laugh together if Taylor or BJ mess up … that camaraderie we have of being able to laugh and still make really cool music together is something pretty amazing,” Zickefoose said.

Upshur County residents and visitors may have heard already the BCB’s music wafting through the air at the Dickens Christmas Faire & Festival, performances at Jawbone Park during Festival Fridays, in the orchestra pit of Buckhannon Community Theater’s “Willy Wonka” show, or joint performances with Upshur County students during their annual Spring programming.

In an effort to expand their efforts to share their love of music with the public, the BCB’s Board of Directors is now seeking community partnerships.

“We have a lot of big plans for this year that we’re working on,” Zickefoose said. “We encourage everyone to keep following along with us because we’re really trying to do cool things. The more people we can get [to join BCB], the better.”

Despite how busy she gets, Zickefoose said making time to make music has made her life so much more enjoyable.

“The best thing I’ve done for myself in the 32 years since I graduated from college was to walk through this door and make music again,” she said.

With an incredible range of musicians, from beginners to retired professional musicians, picking up one’s instrument after many years can be daunting and, sometimes, embarrassing as we may have forgotten how to play their instruments.

Zickefoose’s answer to those fears? Just shake off those nerves and play.

“We have people here who are retired, professional musicians in that room with those of us who just love what we do; it’s just amazing,” Zickefoose said. “For people who think joining sounds cool but are afraid, we totally understand, but do it! Know that we are a group of people who have turned from just being a band to truly being a family.”

“Don’t ever feel fearful about coming here and being with us,” she added. “If you’re not ready to play, come just be and see [what we are about]. We’ll figure it out together.”