The Meridian Community Band was established in 1977 as part of the
Okemos Community Education program and became and independent
non-profit organization in 1983. The band offers its 90+ members five
seasonal sessions in which to participate. The Autumn, Holiday,
Festival, Spring, and Summer sessions each have their own focus
concerts. Membership in this non-auditioned band is as diverse as the
community-at-large. Several senior citizen outreach performances are
among the band's fifteen yearly concerts.
Since 1990 the band has been under the leadership of Carolyn Sherrill,
who has overseen the band's growth and development from
36 members in 1989 to its present size and instrumentation. She has
helped establish both the Grand Sousa Concert and the Red Cedar
Festival of Community Bands as annual events for the band. Her
innovative leadership has set the band on an exciting and rewarding
path of community service and musicianship.