The Calgary Round-Up Band is a youth marching show band and performing arts ensemble located in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Having been in operation for over 60 years, the ensemble is one of Canada's oldest youth marching bands. They are accompanied by the Calgary Stetson Show Band, Calgary Stampede Show Band, and A Band of Outriders. They travel nationally and internationally each summer to promote its program and The City of Calgary. The band has been performing in the Calgary Stampede Parade for nearly 60 years.

History

Originally known as "The Calgary Safety Patrol Band," the Calgary Round-Up Band was founded in 1956 by Sergeant Don Hanson and Corporal Chris Chisholm of the

Calgary Police Service Calgary Police Service (CPS) is the municipal police service of the City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Alberta and third largest municipal force in Canada behind the Toronto Police Service and the Mont ...

, and with the help of Kathleen Roberts. The group was originally organized as an after school program at Briar Hill Elementary and Junior High School, which was chosen due to its active music program. During this time the band was composed of recorders,

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

s. The original uniform colours were red, black and white: reminiscent of the Calgary Police Service uniform colors. Following a brief year and a half at Briar Hill Elementary and Junior High School, the band moved to Stanley Jones School where it remained for the following ten years. Between the years of 1961 to 1981, the band appeared weekly on

CFCN-TV CFCN-DT (channel 4) is a television station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside cable-exclusive CTV 2 Alberta (based in Edmonton with sister station CFR ...

in a show called “ Calgary Safety Round-Up." Every weekend, band members would sing country and pop songs while officers of the Calgary Police Service would fill the time between songs with safety tips. In 1965 the program regularly out-rated

Hockey Night in Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...

. The Calgary Round-Up Band had its first out of province performance in 1962 for the Annual Safety Patrol Jamboree held in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. A

Douglas DC-6 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with th ...

was charted by the group for a flight to Ottawa, during which there would be very little adult supervision. The following year, in 1963, the group traveled to

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

as they were invited to perform at the 51st Grey Cup. A train was organized to carry the "Calgary Safety Patrol Band," which was dubbed the "Milk Train,” because of the donated rail car full of milks and beverages. Once again there was very little supervision. In 1965, the band was invited back to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

for Dominion Day. In the 1970s,

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

and

Woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

Instruments were added to the band, as well the uniform colors were changed to orange and brown, resulting in the band receiving the nickname “The Root-Beer Band.” In 1975 the Calgary Safety Patrol Band changed the uniform colors a final time to white and blue they still wear to today. The "Calgary Safety Patrol Band" officially changed their name in 1979 to the "Calgary Round-Up Band," after the former Calgary Roundup singers. 1984 saw the band travel to

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

where they performed for the mayor of

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

. The Calgary Roundup band went on to perform at Olympic Venues when

hosted the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

. This year also saw them travel on its first international tour to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Along with the Calgary Stampede Show Band, The Calgary Round-Up Band became the first non-military band to play at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. 2007 saw the Calgary Roundup Band and its fellow band, Calgary Stetson Showband, almost disband, due to rising costs and the inability to find locations to rehearse. In 2011, the Calgary Roundup Band received $25,000 Canadian from The Keg's "Thanks A Million" campaign. This money was used to buy new instruments to replace the aging instruments the band was currently using. The band was invited to perform at the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part ...

Military Tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

; in its 2019 performance the band was joined with the Brentwood Imperial Youth Band from

Brentwood, Essex Brentwood is a town in the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the East of England. It is in the London commuter belt, situated 20 miles (30 km) east-north-east of Charing Cross and close by the M25 motorway. In 2017, the popula ...

. To help build excitement for the band's upcoming performance at the

, they performed a flash mob at the

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki� ...

Farmers' Market. 2019, also saw

host The World Association of Marching Show Bands World Championships, where the band competed and won the World Junior Champions and World Drum Line Champions Title. For there 2021-2022 season the Calgary Round-Up Band combined with the Calgary Stetson Show Band due to low membership as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Performances

The Calgary Round-Up band performs all across the province of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

each year. These include Music N' Motion, a spring exhibition held annually in Calgary, The Calgary Stampede Parade, Celebration of Sound, a summer exhibition held in Calgary and the Banff Canada Day Parade. The band also performs in the High River Little Britches Parade and various other parades throughout the province. During the winter months, September to March, the band operates as a

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

, while the color guard operates as a

winter guard Winter guard (sometimes spelled "winterguard") is an indoor color guard sport and performance art derived from military ceremonies. Modern winter guard is a competitive, performance-based activity which incorporates choreographed staging, dance, a ...

. In 2012 and 2019, the band competed at the World Association of Marching Show Band (WAMSB) World Championship. The band also competes yearly in Show Bands Live, a competition hosted in Calgary, Alberta. The band also performs around

Spruce Meadows Spruce Meadows is a multi-purpose sports facility near Calgary, Alberta built by the Southern family which opened in 1975. The facility contains an equestrian show jumping complex that comprises . The current president and CEO of Spruce Me ...

annually.

Awards

Calgary Round-Up Band Group photo Spruce Meadows 2019

Calgary Stampede Parade

* 1998 - Top Canadian Band * 1999 - Top Canadian Band * 2002-2005 - Best Junior Band *2019 - Best Junior Band

World Association Of Marching Show Bands World Championship

* 1999 - World Junior Champions * 2000 - Gold Medal * 2012 - Gold Medal Junior Band *2019 - Drum Line World Champions *2019 - World Junior Champions

Other Awards

* 2000 - Edmonton Klondike Day's Parade- Top Canadian Band * 2003 - Calgary Stampede Competition for Marching Show Bands - Received prestigious Holman Cup for the Most Outstanding Band

References

{{reflist

External links

Calgary Round-Up Band Association, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

World Association of Marching Showbands
Canadian marching bands Musical groups from Calgary