The Ceremonial Band of the Waterloo Regional Police is a Canadian police band based in

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto. Due to the c ...

. It was founded in 1977 when the WRPS was four years old. Since 2010, the band has partnered with local high schools and post-secondary institutions in the Waterloo-

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

area. It is currently the only

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

-style brass and reed band that is attached to a Canadian police service. Being an organizational band for the community, it participates in local community functions and Parades, as well as travels outaide the region to attend musical

tattoos A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing pr ...

and concerts. It also takes responsibility for providing musical accompaniment for the ceremonial functions of the WRPS, including memorials and funerals of fallen police officers, award ceremonies and ceremonial inspections. Aside from the actual 70 member band, it also contains an 8 member

colour guard In military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the military colour is generally carried by a young ...

and a 4 member

drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

. The types of events the band performs at include the following examples: *

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

events *

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and featu ...

*Police Officers Memorial Service on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architectu ...

Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest Kitchener–Waterloo Oktoberfest is an annual nine-day festival in the twin cities of Kitchener– Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Based on the original German Oktoberfest, it is billed as ''Canada's Greatest Bavarian Festival'', and is the second-l ...

*Kitchener-Waterloo Thanksgiving Day Parade (the largest parade it participates in) *Kitchener Santa Claus Parade

Notable members

*Brian J. Smith – Former band assistant director *Robin Reid Habermehl – Musical director of the band and former vocalist and jazz saxophonist in the

Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces The Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces (french: Musique centrale des Forces armées canadiennes) is one of six full-time Regular Force military bands in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is also the seniormost military band in the CAF. The ba ...

*Don McDougall – The Assistant director of the band since 2011

References

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External links

Oct 8, 2018 - Ceremonial Band of the Waterloo Region Police ServiceCeremonial Band of the Waterloo Regional Police Service Cleveland 2017Waterloo Regional Police Band 2008 Oktoberfest ParadeWaterloo Regional Police Band - Test FootageWaterloo Regional Police Service Band - Christmas Concert 1999
Canadian police bands Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo 1977 establishments in Ontario