By Regan Lipes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
(AJNews) – The Edmonton Schoolboys Alumni Band has a rich and storied connection to the Edmonton community and they’ll be performing a joyful concert at Beth Israel Synagogue on November 22 – including many Jewish favourites.
Longtime Edmonton residents fondly remember Mikes News Stand locations on Jasper Avenue and the southside and more recently those who have visited the City of Edmonton’s Neon Sign Museum have likely seen the original Mike’s News logo. “Pre World War I, if you wanted a newspaper from Paris, or London, Mike’s would bring it in,” explained Ray Friedman during a recent interview with the Alberta Jewish News.
“There was a call for an Edmonton Newsboys’ Band, sponsored by Mike’s News and the Edmonton Journal. After the 1929 Stock Market crash, instruments were being put in storage,” he elaborated. “Then a schoolteacher, with full support from EPSB, who wanted to get bands going got the instruments out of moth balls and started a band in 1936. There were no band programmes in the schools at that time; his was the first. This also happened to take place in the first Edmonton junior high school, so it was a combination of things. Grade 7 is the perfect time to introduce kids to music and playing in a band together.”
What was a group of thirty kids in 1936, grew to more than two hundred by 1940, and eventually over one thousand boys participated, thirty-two from the Jewish community, as the band for grades 7, 8, and 9, necessitated an additional group for grades 10, 11, and 12. “This guy was known for scouring second-hand shops to find the instruments they’d need. He knew how to repair old instruments. Things that were broken, he’d pick up and fix.”
This lasted all the way till 1969, by which point music programmes in schools had begun to become more popular. “I was with that band from 1963 to 1969,” said Friedman. “I played in their last concert. After that it also wasn’t as viable to have a band just for boys anymore, so it was converted into the All City Honour Band for both boys and girls.”
For many young people, playing in the school band is a special experience that provides them an early opportunity to travel and perform around Western Canada and the Prairies. Friedman remembers this time fondly, as do many of the other musicians who now play in the Edmonton Schoolboys’ Alumni Band.
“We have a good range of ages,” he said. “Sometimes people decide to slow down once they hit their nineties, but then again, others just keep going.”
Friedman noted that for everyone, it is a celebration of a shared love for music, and ensemble performing, and 2026 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the alumni band’s inception. “Every once-in-a-while someone will suggest that we call ourselves the Edmonton Seniors’ Band, but that usually gets shot down pretty quickly,” he said with a chuckle. “We have a wide range of ages, and the average is around seventy-seven.”
To celebrate thirty years, the band will be performing at Beth Israel Synagogue in Edmonton on Sunday, November 22 at 2:30 pm.
“It’s not the first time we’ve performed in a synagogue, it’s actually the twelfth, but we are a band of fifty plus musicians, and I’m the only Jewish alumnus,” noted Friedman. “We’ve played Jewish music in the past, and all our musicians really enjoyed the songs because they’re always so lively or soulful, and everyone is excited that we’ll be playing a few Jewish favourites for this concert too.”
Friedman, who celebrated his own Bar Mitzvah many years ago at BI when it was still at its old location, feels that the band’s enthusiasm to play in a Jewish space, and feature Jewish music among their repertoire is a hopeful indicator for the community bridgebuilding impact facilitated by music.
“We’ve had many talented Jewish band members through the years, and maybe we’ll gain a few more, but regardless, even with far fewer than a minyan, the Jewish musical flavour is a band favourite.” Friedman is also excited that his granddaughter will be in the audience for this big anniversary performance. “This is a show that the whole family will enjoy, and there’s something for everyone in the mix.”
What better way to spend a November afternoon than comfortably seated with the whole family at BI to listen to some great band music, with a few Jewish favourites sure to delight! Guests are asked to pre-purchase their tickets through EventBrite: $18, or free for children fourteen and under. Ray Friedman and the band look forward to welcoming a big, happy, crowd of music-lovers.
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