Once again the Canadian Staff Band has completed another busy month leading up to Christmas, with all the usual seasonal concerts and activities and a few new ones thrown in for good measure.

For the third straight year we were privileged to participate as part of the massed band for the Toronto Santa Claus Parade on November 17. As always, crowds lined the route and cheered us on as we sounded forth the message of the Christmas season. That night we shared the platform with senior and junior bands from Scarborough Citadel and Agincourt Community Church as part of a tri-band festival. The program featured a mixture of old and new items and we were particularly impressed with the calibre of music presented by the young people’s sections. Well done!

The following Saturday, November 24, about two-thirds of the band participated in the 15th annual Yuletide Cheer, a program put on by the Peterborough Singers at George Street United Church, Peterborough. This magnificent choral group, made up of about 85 singers, thrilled the capacity crowd of more than 900 with their musical offerings. We were happy to participate by playing a selection of seasonal favourites and having the choir join us on Eric Ball’s “The Kingdom Triumphant.”

A week later (the third straight Saturday for some of us, but who’s counting?), we were once again on hand for the annual “Christmas With The Salvation Army” at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. Despite a last-minute change in soloist (Captain Margaret Davis from Philadelphia cancelled due to illness with only a week to go), the concert was a smashing success. Many commented that it was the best one of these programs they’d attended in recent years. The addition of vocalist Darren Bartlett from England contributed greatly to the evening, as he presented a wide range of items from “Mary, Did You Know?” (Mark Lowry) to “Love Changes Everything” (Andrew Lloyd Webber). The Festival Chorus was also in fine form with several new choral arrangements by Major Len Ballantine. The CSB’s main contributions were William Gordon’s “Christmas Bolero” (featuring 11 drummers drumming), Kevin Norbury’s scintillating “Gaudete!” and my own transcription of Leroy Anderson’s popular favourite, “Sleigh Ride.” It was an evening to remember.

Finally, to round off a busy month of activities, there was something old and something new. On Wednesday, December 12, the CSB gave up its regular rehearsal night to play at a special concert arranged by our own Steve Pavey at Markham District High School. The program featured intermediate and high school bands from the area (including Steve’s own band and provided a great means of making inroads into the community. Then to finish the week we participated in the 29th annual Carol Concert at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, an annual event that is always packed out for both performances and helps the Toronto Star provide Christmas gift boxes to 45,000 underprivileged children in the Greater Toronto Area.

For Salvation Army band members, December is a month when you hit the ground with your feet running and don’t stop until it’s all over. And the extra-mile service when you’re in the staff band, which comes on top of normal corps band duties, is all part of the privilege of service.

To all our regular visitors, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Or, keeping our upcoming trip to Mexico in mind, maybe I should say Feliz Navidad.

- Major Ken Smith, CSB Librarian and Website Editor