Ayr-Paris Band

Located in Southern Ontario, Canada, the Ayr-Paris Band performs in concert and parades at local festivals, churches and remembrance services, and other special events. We also participate in many parades, all over Southwestern Ontario. We perform at about 26 engagements per year. The band also performs a series of free concerts every summer in the Ayr Pavilion (see the Schedule).

The Band is made up of members from all walks of life, all age groups and various skill levels. It is free to join with a free uniform, and instruments provided when possible.

Members come from towns surrounding Ayr, including Paris, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Drumbo. Some members have grown up in the band, joining when they were children and now watching their own children learn an instrument. It’s a positive environment for young learners as many of the adults take on the role of mentor/teacher to the Junior band, then as those students become more advanced they help the newer members.

The Junior Band is a free service which encourages good playing techniques, mentored by senior band members and have several performances through the year. It’s not all kids in the Junior group! Adults use it as a place to learn an instrument or to get comfortable with a horn after not playing for a while. When they’re ready, Junior band members are welcomed to the senior group.

The Band is fortunate enough to receive several grants and donations throughout the year, but are mostly self-funded. Thanks to the help of many volunteers within the band and members families, they manage everything the band wants to do by rolling up sleeves and getting to work.

In 1999, the Band donated $10,000 and raised funds totaling $45,000 for the construction of a Band Pavilion (shown above) in the Village of Ayr, something the band is very proud of.