From the Top | Jackson Hole Community Band

In the mid 1980s we had a brass quintet that played for fun and for various community events. Most of us played in theater productions when they occurred, but they were usually short-lived — no more than a couple of months per show, and those Broadway shows were usually presented no more frequently than every 2 years. Some in the quintet envisioned a community band that would be a long-term Ensemble, playing at community events throughout most of the year and providing a base for fun and musical growth for its members.

As part of the Wyoming Centennial celebration, the co-founders of the band were able to procure start-up funding that allowed the band to purchase music, acquire rehearsal space, and participate in Centennial activities. Since that time the band has grown in numbers and skill, and the Jackson Hole Community Band and spin-off groups continue to perform at nearly two dozen community activities and concerts per year.

Don Cushman

Don earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Education from Indiana University and taught public school music early in his instructional career. Subsequently he earned his Doctorate in Education in Instructional Technology at IU. After his relocation to Jackson Hole in 1983 he became a founding member of a brass quintet, which became the impetus for him (along with Tom Ninnemann) to start the Jackson Hole Community Band in 1989. He also conducted the choir at Jackson's First Baptist Church for 7 years and the choir at the Presbyterian Church for 4 years. He led the JHCB for its first 16 1/2 years until his retirement in 2005. He continues to play in this band and the community jazz band, as well as occasionally filling in as conductor.