The arts are sometimes viewed as esoteric, elitist, a frill unrelated to the daily lives of ordinary folk. In my opinion, this view is not only incorrect, but also deprives humankind from accessing an essential component necessary to becoming “all you can be.” I believe that the arts uplift souls and stimulate thought, but the arts also directly reach the human spirit in ways not possible by other means. Music is often used and sometimes misused to express as well as to inspire emotion by such disparate entities as religious groups, advertising agencies, young lovers, and nations, but I believe that music is a universal form of communication and inspiration that reaches across time and space to touch listeners of all ages from diverse demographic backgrounds, inducing disparate feelings and reactions.

Which brings us to the reason behind the founding of the U.S. Army Field Band: “I want to organize a band that will carry into the grassroots of our country the story of our magnificent Army, its glorious traditions, and achievement,” said General Jacob Devers, the Commanding General of the Army Ground Forces upon establishing the band in 1946. The musical ambassadors of the Army, the 65-member Concert Band serves and inspires the American people with its intensive schedule of performances across the nation and around the world. Our community will enjoy the opportunity to witness that service and share that inspiration when the U.S. Army Field Band performs along with the Soldiers’ Chorus at Greenville High School on Thursday, November 16; the concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

The band has been officially described as “a great instrument for stirring patriotic emotions.” Through their performances, these “musical ambassadors of the Army” help win the support of the American people for the members of the Armed Forces who serve around the world. However, the program will not consist of only patriotic songs, but includes a broad range of material ranging from orchestral masterworks to Sousa marches to jazz classics to Broadway musicals, each category capable of inducing an emotional response from individual listeners.

You will undoubtedly leave the concert feeling better than when you arrived, and be proud to be an American regardless of your political leanings, proving my point that the arts can provide an essential form of communication that transcends those things that divide us. The arts are able to articulate without words our shared heritage and shared values, uniting hearts, minds, and spirits. Additionally, the arts can also provide joy, delight, and good times.

Any of the above provides good reason to attend the U.S. Army Field Band concert, but if you still need motivation, here’s one more—the performance is free! However, tickets are required. You can pick yours up at Greenville Public Library, Darke County Welcome Center, Readmore’s Hallmark, and Darke County Center for the Arts’ office located on the third floor of Greenville Public Library; to get your tickets by mail, send your ticket request along with a stamped self-addressed envelope to Darke County Center for the Arts, P.O. Box 718, Greenville, OH 45331. For more information, contact DCCA at 937-547-0908 or [email protected]

Marilyn Delk is a director of the Darke County Center for the Arts and can be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.