Seaforth 150: Marching Band has served community's young women for generations
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
A tradition that dates back generations is unique to Seaforth and provides an opportunity for artistically-minded young girls to find their tribe. It is, of course, the Seaforth All-Girls Marching Band.
In an article written by local historian David Yates, he says that the band began as the Seaforth Collegiate Boys’ Bugle Band. E.H. Close, the Seaforth Highlanders’ bandmaster, spoke with Seaforth District High School Principal Lawrence Plumsteel about creating a new marching band, however, even in those early years, recruiting enough boys for the band proved difficult, so the band included several young girls during that time.
According to a Huron Expositor story in 1975, Plumsteel said that he found that girls were not only better musicians than the boys, but that they were also better at reading music.
The band continued to expand to include a colour party with flag bearers, baton twirlers, majorettes and a banner. As the years went on, the band continued to attract more of the community’s young girls, as fewer extracurricular activities were available to them at the time. For a while, the band was the only all-girls’ marching band in the region and became a stalwart of Huron County events, like fall fairs, Santa Claus parades, Dominion Day and Remembrance Day celebrations and more.
In his piece, Yates notes that artist Allen Hilgendorf has honoured the band with a mural on Seaforth’s main street, depicting the band performing at the town’s 1957 Remembrance Day ceremony.
In the years that followed, the band would perform all over the region and beyond. In 1955, the band played for Ontario Lieutenant-Governor Louis Breithaupt at the Seaforth Fall Fair. In 1962, the band led the Huron delegation into the King Edward Hotel in Toronto as part of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association’s annual meeting.
In fact, Yates opines that the band surely helped Huron County secure the hosting gig for the 1966 International Plowing Match, which was held on the Scott farm near Seaforth. He said that the band’s performances at Ontario Plowmen’s Association conventions led some to refer to them as the official band of the OPA, leading to further International Plowing Match performances in the subsequent years.
In the 1960s, the band performed for two Prime Ministers - first Lester B. Pearson at the 1963 IPM in Owen Sound and then in 1968 in Seaforth when Pierre Trudeau made a campaign stop in the town.
Later that year, the band made its first international appearance when it performed at the Bavarian Festival in Frankenmuth, Michigan. This would be the beginning of frequent visits to perform in the United States.
In the 1980s, the band performed at the Calgary Stampede, Disney World, the SkyDome, the Toronto Santa Claus parade and more. It was also during this time and into the early 1990s that the band saw its highest-ever level of membership with nearly 100 young women as members.
Lawrence Plumsteel was the first leader of the band, overseeing operations until 1957. He was succeeded by George Hildebrand, who led the band for over 20 years into the late 1970s. It was then, in 1978, that a Goderich high school history teacher and former leader of the Zurich Centennial Band, Charlie Kalbfleisch, took over the band - a position he’d remain in for over 40 years.
In many ways, Kalbfleisch became synonymous with the band, with current leader Heather Dawe describing him as generous, intelligent and calm. In fact, it was Kalbfleisch who wrote the book, literally, on the band, penning its history before his death in 2023.
At that time, many past members of the band returned for his funeral to act as honour guard for the ceremony and to play “Joy To The World” for him one last time.
The trouble of declining membership into the late 1990s was exacerbated in 1999 by the amalgamation of the Huron and Perth County Boards of Education, at which time the trustees voted to discontinue funding for the Seaforth High School Girls’ Marching Band.
After the decision was made, the members were allowed to keep their instruments and practise at the school, but they would no longer receive funding from the school board. As a result, community partners stepped in to sponsor the band and the Seaforth and District All Girls’ Marching Band was born.
Things began looking up for the band as it travelled over an ocean for the first time in 2002 when members made the trip to perform in both France and England, though their performance in England was cancelled due to soccer-related tensions and safety concerns. They continued to expand their travel with trips to the Dominican Republic in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In 2012, after being under the leadership of Lawrence Plumsteel, George Hildebrand and Charlie Kalbfleisch in its formative years, the band found itself, for the time first, under the watchful eye of a woman and a former member: Heather Dawe. Kalbfleisch and Dawe co-directed the band from 2012 until Kalbfleisch passed away in 2023 at the age of 87.
Dawe took the time to speak with The Citizen about her role leading the band and all that it has meant not just to her, but to the community over the years. As a child, she said, music was always part of her life, from taking piano lessons to singing in the church choir to learning to play everything from the recorder to the ukulele at Huron Centennial School to the French horn, trumpet and flute at Central Huron Secondary School.
So, it’s no surprise that she found her way to the band when she was just nine years old and that she remained a member for nearly 10 years until she left the community to attend university (where she studied music and then eventually earned her Bachelor of Education). She returned to Huron County in 2003 and began teaching music at the now-closed Brussels Public School. When that school closed in 2011, Dawe transferred to Seaforth Public School to teach music, drama and dance - a position she still holds today.
The band remains open to all Huron County girls from the age of nine and up, regardless of their level of experience. Members work their way up through the drumline, Dawe says, before they have to prove themselves on a wind instrument. The band now performs at between 15 and 20 parades per year and they still travel within the country to perform, recently making their way to Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.
The band rehearses year-round and Dawe says there is a tremendously supportive structure baked into the band’s culture.
“Through their participation in the marching band, these kids learn to know their role, fulfill their obligations, prepare themselves, work together and be responsible to each other - all traits that will serve them and their community well as they grow into adults,” Dawe said. “Our members have been growing into strong, independent women who support other women for decades because we rely on this culture of community and we value hard work and prolonged effort.”
She says that the work of the band can feel intimidating at the beginning, but the older, more experienced members do their part to bring the younger, newer members along.
“Most often, our rookies spend their first few practices feeling pretty lost, as there’s a lot to take in and every command is a whistle. At the beginning, it can seem like everyone else has it figured out and it can be daunting to stick it out and keep trying,” Dawe said. “After a few years in the band, and as their skills develop, the girls’ confidence grows and they take on leadership roles. It brings great self-satisfaction to feel success after working at something that is very challenging for an extended period of time. Having the chance to pass on what they’ve learned allows our young musicians to practise their interpersonal skills, while increasing their feelings of self-worth.”
In her e-mail to The Citizen, Dawe said that she remains committed to the success and longevity of the band for years to come, but that she could always use some help and the band could always use new members. Practices are in the Seaforth Public School gym every Wednesday from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. and volunteers or new members can reach out to Dawe at [email protected] for more information. Furthermore, Kalbfleisch wrote a book on the history of the band several years ago, which includes plenty of pictures of the band and articles written by past members and directors. They can be purchased by reaching out to Dawe as well. They are $50 each and are being sold as a fundraiser for the band.