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About the Band | History of the Band | Band Staff
William B. (Bill) Blanchard, Associate Conductor and
Arlene Blanchard, Program Coordinator
Bill and Jack first met in 1958 when Bill was hired to direct the Chaffey
College Band and Jack to direct the Chaffey High School Band. They shared
the same facilities (now the Jack Mercer Music Hall) until the college moved to
its new campus in Alta Loma. Bill had graduated from Pomona College in 1955
with a B.A. in music, and earned an M.A. in music from Eastman School of Music
the following year. He was drafted and served the majority of time in the
service as the arranger for the 8th Army Band in Seoul, Korea.
After nine years as director of instrumental music at Chaffey College, Bill
set aside his music interests and switched to teaching mathematics full time,
developing a self-paced math lab for which he wrote all of the materials.
Bill and Arlene were married in 1999. Arlene encouraged Bill to get back
into music. This included joining Jack's Ontario/Chaffey Community Show Band,
where Bill soon became the Associate Conductor and Arlene became the "Band Mom.'
Arlene's job expanded into that of "Program Coordinator" which includes everything
from making sure performers get on stage when they're supposed to, to writing
scripts and announcing programs that she and Bill produce.
Bill has made well over 100 arrangements for the band, primarily to accompany
soloists and The Harmony Sisters trio. Jack's agreement with Bill was that
he could direct any music he arranged, one of the reasons he has been so prolific.
Bill and Arlene are also a team running Bill Blanchard's Little Big Band, a
7-piece band with vocalist (and some times The Harmony Sisters) that plays regularly
at the Rancho Cucamonga Senior Center and for private parties. The band has a
repertoire of over 130 numbers with an additional 18 arrangements for the Harmony
Sisters, all done by Bill, and featuring the music of the 40's, plus or minus a
few years.
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