Music can soothe. Music can inspire. Universal, music knows no limits, knows no boundaries, knows no borders.

More than bringing them together, music connects people. Music makes us human.

"Music is very important because it brings people together," said Matt Samly, who's been the director of the Lititz Community Band for four years. "We listen to it in our cars. Out of anything in this world, it's music that has that common element. Look at audiences at concerts; it's just anybody. It's always something for people to look forward to. It puts a smile on their faces. Culture changes, but music doesn't."

The Lititz Community Band promotes all kinds of music, explores music and makes live music available to the masses. Made up of members from Lititz and surrounding areas, the band has the purpose of both representing the community and serving it.

"We support the community," said Samly. "Everybody likes some kind of music, and we try to play a wide variety of music. It's a catharsis for the community. People relate to our kind of music, and we support community events. We're the community's band, and we're proud of it."

In season, the Lititz Community Band rehearses at its home base, Lititz Moravian Church, 8 Church Square, Lititz. From the middle of April to late May, the band practices once a week in preparation for its season, which begins with an appearance in the Lititz Memorial Day parade and ends in the beginning of September.

"It's a seasonal band. It's a summer band," said Samly, a clarinet-playing resident of Manheim Township. "We're happy to go anywhere in the community, and we're always looking for good venues to play. We do have a band that is willing to be part of the community. People come out and enjoy the band. There's something for the participants, and there's something for the community. It's a family activity. We have musicians who are family or families who are playing together."

Typically, the Lititz Community Band presents about 10 one-hour concerts every season. The community band plays at the Fourth of July celebration at Lititz Springs Park, A Taste of Lititz, Venture Lititz's Farmers Market, other special events, retirement homes and the Lititz Public Library.

The musicians of the Lititz Community Band are volunteers, and most of their performances are free to attend.

"I think it's a passion," said Samly. "You take years of lessons growing up, and you want to keep those skills. We get so caught up in our everyday lives; it's hectic and stressed. But this is an outlet. I think people look for that outlet. People have to love it to do it, or they wouldn't do it. They're people who thoroughly enjoy what they do. There's no feeling like it."

About 65 serious musicians make up the Lititz Community Band, residents of Lititz, Manheim Township, Manheim, Hempfield, Ephrata and Lampeter. Those musicians are masters of flutes, saxophones, trumpets, tubas, baritones, trombones, French horns, snare drums, timpani and clarinets.

"These are people who have a commonality," said Samly. "It's a diversity of musicians who have a love of music. They have an enduring passion. Our rehearsals are like two-hour workouts. We see each other frequently, and we enjoy each other's company."

"They're very talented," he continued. "We have a wide range of experiences, and most have been playing for quite a while. We put on a professional performance. You have to enjoy it, but there's a professional aspect to it."

The Lititz Community Band's origins can be traced to the late 1800s and the now-defunct Lititz Concert Band. That spirit of community is the band's enduring legacy.

"We have to be one of the oldest and one of the biggest volunteer bands in the county," said Samly. "We're a mainstay in the Lititz community. Tradition is a big part of it. That's important."

"If you really have a love of playing and you want to play, we'll find a place for you," Samly added.

For additional information, email Samly at lititzcommunityband@gmail.com.