ABOUT US
Our Beginning
- For over 20 years Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss had the vision of creating a youth band program that had the potential to evolve into a county wide, statewide and eventually a nationwide program. In 2017 Commissioner Moss convened a team of outstanding professionals and community leaders to become the organizing committee that provided the leadership and oversight for the program. The organizing committee consisted of Commissioner Moss; Ed Hanna of the West Perrine Community Development Corporation; Joe L. Demps of the Greater Goulds Optimist Club, the late Charles Bethel of the Richmond-Perrine Optimist Club and the late Rodester Brandon. The program’s long-term goal is to work in conjunction with and through the various Optimist and little league football programs. The reason that the long-term goal is to work with existing little league football programs and not as a separate, stand-alone program, is in order to take advantage of a number of factors. First of all marching bands are a natural component of football programs whether at a high school or college level; little league football programs have the community infrastructure (Fundraising capabilities, volunteers, organizational skills, community support, etc.) to sustain a youth marching band program; many of these programs are located in challenged neighborhoods that struggle with gun violence, gangs and other hardships and a youth band program will be able to bring hundreds of youth off the streets and into a positive environment where they will learn not just music and marching and dance skills, but life skills including a sense of worth, dignity and self-esteem. The Youth Band Camp component provides a 6-week summer band camp experience. Dr. Julian White, (Former band director at world renowned Florida A and M University) serves as General Consultant for the program, after previously serving as the Supervising Consultant from the beginning of the program in 2017. It is worth noting that Dr. White is only the second African-American in history to ever be inducted into the National Band Association Hall of Fame. Anthony Williams is the new Supervising Consultant. Mr. Williams is a former Marching 100 band member, a former Band Director in Broward County and a consultant with the band camp for 3 years.
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