Father Flanigan's band keeps kids in harmony

With the death of Rev. Thomas Flanigan, their founder, and facing the closure of their parish home, St. Patrick's in Troy, the band's leaders faced a dilemma at the end of last year.

"People didn't know what was going to happen," said Jim Thayer, Father Flanigan's nephew.

To the rescue

Mr. Thayer praised the parishioners' tremendous support for the band, which many considered to be an area tradition and Troy institution.

"Parishioners [of St. Patrick's] approached the family and told us that they didn't want to see the band end and thought that it was important that it continue," he recalls.

New home

"The band already has uniforms, so our students will be able to participate at no cost," he said.

The rebirth at St. Augustine's will transform the band's administrative structure, but not its commitment to excellence. "Father Flanigan had always been the chief organizer and fundraiser for the band," Mr. Thayer said. "He had help from some volunteers. Other than that, there was no other structure."

Mr. Thayer, among with others, will now serve on a board of advisors and assist the band with raising funds.

Banding together

Mrs. DiDonato, the band's self-described "substitute mom," is delighted that St. Augustine's agreed to sponsor the band. "It has been a total joy for me," she said.

She began her involvement by sewing costumes and found herself, after numerous requests, marching alongside her young charges. Since then, she has sewed, repaired and hemmed the colorful outfits that the youngsters don at parades in Green Island, Wynantskill, Lansingburgh and Troy.

Priest's aim

Music education can be a life-changing experience, says the band's music director, Michelle Askey.

"Music takes negative energy and puts it in a positive place," she explained. "The band is a place for kids to go and feel like their life is meaningful. It's a place to do something positive. The success of being able to pick up an instrument and play it -- that alone is a rewarding experience."

Ms. Askey, who has taught the band for four years, continues in that position at St. Augustine's.

Devotion to kids

"Father Flanigan was the most generous person I knew," she recalled. "He was very strict, but the kids all loved him. The kids found he was really a teddy bear under all that gruffness."

(10-24-02) [[In-content Ad]]