The Ahwatukee Foothills Concert Band was founded in 1990 by Ahwatukee resident, Crawford McClue, as a non-profit community organization. Beginning with a few queries in the local newspaper and with area businesses, Crawford soon had the beginnings of a small band that has since grown to its present size of over 60 active members. Our goal is to provide an artistic outlet for local adult musicians while promoting the arts in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. While many of the members reside in the Ahwatukee-Foothills area, we have attracted musicians from the communities of Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa, and even as far away as Glendale and Apache Junction.

From 1996 until 2005, the band grew under the energetic direction of Daniel Neville who had conducted bands in Ithaca College, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, as well as public schools in New York and Arizona. As a saxophonist, Mr. Neville has been a soloist, chamber musician, and clinician throughout the United States and Australia. Mr. Neville received his Bachelors degree in Music Education from Ithaca College in New York and completed his Masters degree in Saxophone Performance at Arizona State University.

In 2006, upon Mr. Neville's retirement the band hired Brendan Anderson as their new conductor. Brendan received his bachelor's degree in music composition and conducting from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN and also studied film scoring in Los Angeles in UCLA's Extension Program. He has composed numerous pieces for concert band and other ensembles, and has been a guest conductor and clinician at numerous high schools and colleges throughout the U.S.

The AFCBand performs 10-15 times a year at local venues, special events, and in many concert series throughout the valley. Some of our regular concerts are at Mesa's Amphitheater, Chandler's Concert in the Park series, Sun City's SunBowl, and our home base at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center. We have enjoyed traveling to Poway, CA many times to play in the Southern California Community Band Festival north San Diego. We are grateful to all our supporters and especially the ARC with two concerts annually. The band contributes in other ways toward improving the quality of life in the community by supporting music programs of our host school, Kyrene Middle, and give annual music scholarships to encourage KMS band students to excel.