For the Love of Music: A History of Wind Bands in Canada and the Canadian Music they Played - Paperbackby Charles E. Charles (Author) For almost 200 years, wind bands and wind band musicians were the pre eminent form of large instrumental ensemble performance practice in Canada. From the earliest documented evidence of a "band of music" in 1770 Halifax to the post World War II explosion of curricular school band programs across the country, bands were a genuine expression of popular musical culture. They attracted the best musicians in the villages,