Trumpet

WOW, too much fun, I know I'm such a nerd, but whatever! I just spent the last hour and a half recording a six part trumpet choir piece called "Prelude…

Kenosha Catholic Youth Organization band last remaining group of its kind
By Alice Anne Conner KENOSHA NEWS

The Kenosha Catholic Youth Organization band is a musical icon in Kenosha.

Known as the CYO, the marching band has played in countless parades and at special events since it formed June 25, 1939.

Last weekend the band performed the national anthem in Denver as the Colorado Rockies took on the Milwaukee Brewers — one of more than a dozen appearances and concerts the group has given over the last couple of months.

What the audience in Denver didn’t know — nor do most people right here in Kenosha — is the CYO band is the only one of its kind in the United States.

At one time there were dozens of CYO bands throughout the Midwest and in other parts of the country.

All have gone by the wayside as public schools absorbed most of the students who were interested in being in a marching band.

Kenosha’s CYO is a self-funded, private band that relies on membership dues and such fund-raising events as car washes, bake sales and donations from people who want to see the band continue.

In a time when extracurricular activities are being cut in public schools, when charitable giving has slumped along with the economy, and when kids have dozens of choices about what to do with their leisure time, the question has to be asked: how has this band continued to play for almost 70 years without ever missing a beat?
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I'll be playing "Taps" at the Memorial Day Service this Wednesday - Piasecki-Althaus on 39th Avenue - 6pm. -- If any of you have ever been to a military funeral…