First Uniforms

Who We Are

The Warren Jr. Military Band is a community youth band in the Sousa tradition. It's purpose is music education and enrichment - for members and audiences. But more than that, it is a family - of band members, staff, parents, community volunteers, and alumni.

The band originated in 1927 when St. Mary's School, Elm Rd, Warren discontinued its band program in response to an increasingly depressed economy. Just a block away, the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Warren Post 1090, determined to keep the St. Mary's Band going. Starting with the members of the St. Mary's Band and welcoming students from other schools, the VFW Boys Band was organized by VFW member Colonel Lester Friend, who became the band's first manager, and Raymond Dehnbostel of the Dana School of Music, who became the band's first director.

Donald W. "Squire" Hurrelbrink, a young Dana student, became Band Director in 1930 and directed the band continuously until 1996. He added girls to the band in 1945. Squire passed away on March 13, 1999. The band's current director is Carl Snyder. Josh Hawkins, Chris Houser, Lauren Munroe, and Tim Tuite also share directing duties. Staff coordinator is Lauren Munroe, percussion director is Chris Bennett, and color guard director is Holly Ceci. Most of the staff are band alumni, and all have put in many years of service with the band.

                                                                                                                                                                                  

In 1957, the band became independent of outside sponsorship and incorporated as the Warren Junior Military Band. Its membership today includes young musicians from all over the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys as well as communities in southern Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Over the years, the band has amassed an impressive list of regional, national, and international honors and awards from all over the world. Performance tours have taken the band throughout the United States and to Hawaii, Great Britain, and Europe. The band has marched in nearly every major parade in the country, including Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the Orange Bowl Parade. The concert band has played in city squares from Warren, Ohio, to Brussels, Belgium, and in concert halls from Youngstown, Ohio, to Zurich, Switzerland. It has played in the Palace Courtyard in Salzburg, Austria, and on the White House Lawn. The Warren Jr. Military Band continues today to be in great demand for concert, parade and field show performances throughout the areas in which it travels.