Meet the Arborators!
by Chad Giblin, Research Fellow, University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources; Tuba and Bari Sax Player in The Arborators
The Midway-Frogtown Arborators Band
(www.arborators.org) out of Saint Paul, Minnesota is
an Ethnic Brass Band comprised of arborists, nursery
growers, scientists, and local urban forestry advocates.
Instrumentation ranges from cornet, trombone, and
tuba to flute, clarinet, tenor sax, and glockenspiel.
We play without amplification and are fully portable.
Inspired by the working-class bands of the early 20th
century, "The Arborators" seek to promote and support
urban and community forestry through music at local
venues, Arbor Day celebrations, and gatherings of the
arboricultural industry.
Our musical repertoire consists mainly of ethnic dance
music popularized by German, Czech, Bohemian, and
36
Hungarian immigrants to America. We also perform
a few klezmer tunes, Russian Dance numbers, and
American marches for good measure.
I got interested in community bands in 2009 after finding some old photographs at my grandparents' house
in Harmony, Minnesota. I found no less than four of my
own blood relatives in the Harmony Concert Band. I was
really inspired by the idea of ordinary folks (mostly farmers and laborers) coming together and making music for
family, friends, and the community.
I picked the "Arborators" name from a presentation by
Dr. Rich Hauer of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point. He discussed the old English title of "arborator"
as he found it in John Evelyn's book, Sylva, or a Discourse
City Trees
