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Air Force Reserve Band spreads goodwill

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Julie Briden-Garcia
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

The Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve performed a concert May 18 for the Community Partnership for Homeless, a non-profit agency of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.

Homestead Air Reserve Base’s 482nd Fighter Wing set up the event as a way to raise awareness about the base and to thank CPHI for continually supporting the base.

During the concert the Brass Quintet, one of the three band ensembles hailing from Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., performed a repertoire spanning five centuries, including everything from Renaissance and Baroque music all the way to jazz, popular music, marches and patriotic selections.

Not accustomed to this type of entertainment, residents flocked to enjoy the afternoon show.

Children, lining the rows of chairs, wiggled and danced in their seats to tunes from James Brown and other well-known artists while the adults reminisced. Daniel Vincent, CHPI executive director, said everyone was looking forward to hearing the band.

“This is wonderful. I’m grateful to Col. Randy Falcon (482nd FW commander) of Homestead Air Reserve Base for bringing these guys out here. It means a lot to the residents for the band to take the time to share their talents and educate the children and entertain the families here.”

The Homeless Assistance Center, located on property once belonging to Homestead Air Force Base, now assists the neediest of the community to regain jobs, families and lost hope.

The band members also gave the audience a brief lesson in the various types of instruments used in this particular collection; they ranged from the piccolo trumpet and French horn to the tuba.

“We tend to modify our shows to teach a bit of what we use to our audience,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Andrew, a Brass Quintet band member and tuba player. “Audiences enjoy hearing the different sounds the individual instruments make. And you never know, there might be a future trumpet or tuba player in the crowd.”

All of the group’s members are dedicated to music education, sharing their enthusiasm and expertise in a lively education program presented to young audiences across America.

The band also performed at WTVJ-6 (NBC) and is scheduled to perform at the Miami Children’s Museum, the Homestead Center for the Arts, the East Ridge Retirement Village, the Miami Veteran’s Administration Hospital and will conclude the weekend with a concert at the Armed Forces Day celebration at Main Street in Homestead. (AFRC News Service)