Dozens of talented musicians are playing 14 types of instruments with passion and expertise. But the key to their collective sound quality is cooperation, collaboration and coordination.

Members of the Ephrata Concert Band create beautiful music together.

"These (musicians) are people who enjoy playing their instruments," said Jim Kimmel, the Ephrata Concert Band's conductor. "They enjoy making music. It's very intergenerational. We have a musician who's 13 years old and a person who's in their 90s, and it's all ages in between. My goal is to get people working together and learning from each other. I'm really proud of that generational focus. To me, that's what a community is, a group of people of all ages."

The Ephrata Concert Band will perform during two upcoming shows at the band shell inside Thomas Grater Memorial Park, 300 Cocalico St., Ephrata. The first will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, and the second is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. In the case of inclement weather, the concerts will be conducted inside the Ephrata Rec Center, 130 S. Academy Drive, Ephrata.

Both performances are free to attend. The Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley will sell bottles of water during each show.

"It's music that the musicians enjoy and music the audience enjoys," said Kimmel, a resident of Ephrata. "Most people enjoy a summer night in the park. It's relaxing and informal. Our goal is to provide a quality performance. I try to educate the audience and give them something fun and enjoyable to listen to."

The Ephrata Concert Band performs musical numbers that are recognizable to individuals of all ages, along with patriotic tunes, traditional marches and medleys from Broadway musicals. The concerts generally last an hour.

"There's definitely an understanding and an appreciation of music," said Kimmel. "Music adds meaning to life. By playing an instrument, there are so many functions going on, physically, mentally and emotionally. Staying involved with playing music is one of the best ways to maintain cognitive functions as people age. When you wrap that together with emotions, it's a wonderful thing. It's a way to keep people involved with life."

The Ephrata Concert Band is made up of 45 local musicians playing flutes, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, tubas, French horns, bassoons, bass clarinets, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, baritone saxophones, oboes and percussion.

Half of the band's musicians are high school students or college students. Half of the band members hail from Ephrata, and the remainder of the band's members reside in surrounding communities, like Lititz, Denver and the city of Lancaster.

"It's a community band," said Kimmel. "A number of years ago, there were few high school and college students involved. When I took over as conductor, I recruited more younger musicians. It's no longer an old folks' band. In today's society, very rarely do we have people of all ages working together."

Prior to each Sunday performance, the musicians come together as a band to rehearse that night's music.

"You have to meet people where they're at and take them where you want them to be," said Kimmel. "You have to come into rehearsals with a clear understanding of what you want to attain. Music has so much room for interpretation. If a conductor is not prepared, then the musicians don't have the ability to follow."

The Ephrata Concert band was founded in 1975 by John Enck, an Ephrata resident who taught music in the Garden Spot School District. Enck saw music as a vehicle for uniting the Ephrata community.

"A lot of what he used to found the band was his own music and his own equipment, some of which is still being used today," said Kimmel. "When it started, it was more professional musicians coming together. That's not as possible (now) as it used to be."

"Community bands have changed over the years," continued Kimmel. "One hundred years ago, every town had a community band. They're almost a thing of the past. But I feel like we've had a revitalization of the band."