The Milwaukee Police Band is an American police band in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. It is the oldest currently active police band in the

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and serves as the official musical unit of the

Milwaukee Police Department The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) is the police department organized under the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The department has a contingent of about 1,800 sworn officers when at full strength and is divided into seven districts. Jeffrey B. ...

. It is composed of both civilian and police personnel who volunteer to work with the band. The band is funded by the Milwaukee Police Athletic Association, due none of the city budget being available to fund its operations. The MPD band performs regularly at events such as

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, graduation ceremonies and other Civic functions.

History

In the fall 1897, the Milwaukee Police Band became the first police ensemble to be formed in the United States, coming 13 years after the first police band one was formed in

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. It was originally composed of a group of whistlers who worked in the MPD. 9 April 1898, 5 months after its founding, the band performed at its first concert to members of the MPD, playing the ''

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'', ''El Capitan'' and ''

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''. On 7 October 1922, the band met former

United States Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the ...

director

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

at a train station and played for him when he visited Milwaukee to perform with the MPD Band alongside the Sousa Band at the Milwaukee Auditorium. It performed again with the band in mid-November 1923, during which Sousa presented the band with an

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that included with streamers with Sousa's name embroidered. Under the direction of Robert O. Brunkhorst, the band became a regular feature on

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radio, as well as other emerging radio stations in the region. The MPD

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was formed in the 1940s to increase the diversity in music played by the band as it was a rising trend during that period. In October 1993, the Band was invited to appear at the Wisconsin Music Educators Association Music Conference in

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, during which they demonstrated their approach to establishing youth programs. In March 2000, the expansion of the MPD Band youth saw younger children being introduced included and paired with police officer-musicians who mentored and performed with the students.

Performance history

In November 1924, the band made its first appearance at the municipal Christmas tree lighting ceremony, an event that it has continued to perform at annually. On 22 March 1925, the band joined the visiting

NYPD Police Band The Band of the City of New York Police Department, commonly known as the NYPD Police Band, is an American Police band which serves under the NYPD in New York City. The band currently has 70 members and is part of the NYPD Ceremonial Unit. The ba ...

in a benefit concert that saw an estimated 8,500 people in attendance at Milwaukee Auditorium. In the mid twenties, Howard B. Weeks, a local composer, wrote the ''Milwaukee Police Band March'', the original manuscript of which is today located in the archives of the MPD Band at the Safety Academy. In July 1989, the band traveled to Minneapolis to march in the famous Aquatennial Parade, performing with the Bands of the

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, the

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and the

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. In coordination with Nick Contorno of the and program at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

, a high school awards program was developed in 1990 to have area high school students perform with the Milwaukee Police Band in a concert at Varsity Theater in Marquette. On its

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in July 1998, the band was invited to Washington D.C. to take apart in the National Independence Day Parade in

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. The band also traveled to

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in April 2003 to perform at

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's "Share a Dream Come True Parade".

Directors

The following is a list of directors of the MPD Band since its 1897 establishment: *William Stupenagel (1898-1902) *Herman A. Zeitz (1902-1922) *Charles Zeitz (1922-1923) *Frederick W. Brunkhorst (1923-1940) *Robert O. Brunkhorst (1940-1962) *John Paulish (1962-1964) *Perry F. Chalifoux (1964-1980) *Dennis Benjamin (1980-1999) *Karen Dubis/Bobby Lindsey (co-directors) (1999-2003) *Karen Dubis (2003-''Present'') All directors are appointed directly by the Chief of the MPD.

Robert O. Brunkhorst

On 2 February 1940, Robert O. Brunkhorst became the first director of the band from the civilian sector. A

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

by profession, he also conducted the Tripoli Shrine Band concurrently.

Karen Dubis

In June 2015, the longtime director of the band,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Karen Dubis, retired from the MPD, continuing to lead the band as a civilian. She had been named as the band's first female band director in 2003. Dubis's nephew John is a soloist in the band.

References

External links

Official website

History of the Milwaukee Police Band
{{Milwaukee Police Department, state=autocollapse Musical groups established in 1897 American police bands Milwaukee Police Department 1897 establishments in Wisconsin Musical groups from Milwaukee