ABOUT US
ABOUT THE BAND
The River Valley Community Band has been a part of Fort Smith and the River Valley for over forty years. This organization is made up completely of volunteer area musicians and is unique in that it has adults of all backgrounds from general laborers and doctors to band directors and private music teachers. The group meets once a week (in season) (Tuesday nights at 7:00 in Kimmons Middle School band room) and works on a variety of music, playing concerts three to five times a year. They also perform at the Fort Smith National Cemetery for the Memorial Day rememrance, the Fort Smith Mayor’s Fourth of July Celebration, and the Veteran’s Day Celebration at the Fort Chaffee Historic District. The Band has played at numerous ABA Kickoff Concerts over the years. The River Valley Community Band had the honor of playing at the Association of Concert Bands Regional Event in Plano Texas this past June and will be the Partner/Host Band for the ACB National Convention in Fort Smith in June 2025. The Band is honored to be able to perform for the 50th Anniversary of the Arkansas Bandmaster Association Ruth and Raymond Brandon Kickoff Concert.
CONDUCTOR JEFF MARLOW
Jeff Marlow, is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University (87, BA Music Education) where he studied under Hal Cooper, and Ken Futterer. He did his graduate studies at University of Kansas (94, Masters Music Education) where he studied Conducting with Robert Foster. Mr. Marlow is the 2013 past president Arkansas Bandmasters Association, and before retiring in 2017, as director of bands at Dover High School in Arkansas. During his career he also taught at Pocola, OK; Mountain Pine, AR; Ozark, AR; and County Line, AR. His college teaching experience includes teaching at University of the Ozarks, AR, Westark Community College, AR, and University of Central Arkansas.
Jeff’s Dover bands received ASBOA Sweepstakes awards 16 of the 21 years he directed there, and the band performed at the 2004 ASBDA National Convention. Jeff currently teaches privately and directs the Arkansas River Valley Community Band in Fort Smith. He is a member of the Phi Beta Mu International Band Fraternity and is on the National Special Projects Committee. Jeff is a Member of the Association of Concert Bands ACB Connects Committee and was a National Board of the Association of Concert Bands for the 2023/24 year. He also enjoys relaxing on his farm with his wife Greta, and they have two grown children, Roger and Lily.
FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS
Located in the River Valley region of Arkansas on the western border, Fort Smith is a vibrant, growing city. Fort Smith is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 84,279. The city was the setting for the classic Western novel "True Grit" (later made into multiple movies). In addition to being the home of the United States Marshals Service Museum, the Western heritage of Fort Smith is also shown through our town being named a "Top True Western Town" (awarded by True West Magazine in 2019). Local industries include manufacturing, tourism, and service.
Fort Smith is home to a very strong school district, which services over 14,000 students on 19 K-6th elementary, 4 7th-9th junior high, and 2 10th-12th high school campuses. The fine arts programs in the district consist of elementary music programs for all K-6th students, with band, choir, and orchestra offered for 7th-12th graders. Our district's band and orchestra programs consistently receive Superior ratings in region and state concert and marching contests. Additionally, numerous students in our outstanding band and orchestra programs earn positions in our All-State honor bands and orchestras.