The Wakefield Concert Band, South Kingstown’s volunteer ensemble, has been bringing free concerts to Rhode Island families for over 130 years. With 60+ musicians (amateurs to former professionals, teens to retirees), they perform 8+ annual events—from summer seaside picnics to holiday pops spectaculars, Memorial Day tributes, and instrument petting zoos for kids.
Their old site was outdated, hard to navigate, and missing key modern features like online ticket sales, easy event discovery, and strong donation support. We rebuilt it from the ground up to better serve their community-focused goals: promote events, sell tickets seamlessly, encourage donations, share history/news, and connect with supporters.
Key Challenges & Solutions
- Outdated & Non-Functional: Previous site lacked mobile responsiveness, modern event management, and payment integration. Solution: Full redesign with responsive layout, clean navigation, and vibrant imagery of concerts/parades.
- Event Management: Needed an easy way to list and promote concerts (indoor/outdoor, seasonal themes). Solution: Integrated The Events Calendar plugin with PayPal for online ticket sales—fully tested and live, enabling real revenue from events.
- Donations & Support: Important for funding free concerts, instruments, scholarships. Solution: Prominent donation buttons/forms with clear calls to action.
- Content & Engagement: Highlight 130+ year history, news, photos, and community impact. Solution: Custom blog/news section, history page, gallery, testimonials, and engaging banners (featuring musicians, patriotic themes, watercolor/illustrated styles). Added music note accents, video embeds, and rehearsal info.
- SEO & Visibility: Needed better discoverability for local searches. Solution: On-page SEO, local schema, fast loading, and structured content for Google.
The Mission
Give a 131 year old band a website they could be proud of and take donations on. Also create a site that was also an events hub that sold tickets, as well as a blog.
Key Features Delivered
- Interactive Events Calendar with month/list views, ticket purchasing via PayPal (confirmed working with test transactions).
- Donation & Support Section for easy contributions.
- Custom Banners & Visuals – Vibrant posters (sunset beach concerts, holiday scenes, marching parades) in various styles (realistic, watercolor, gouache, woodcut).
- Blog/News Integration – Articles on history, scholarships, community events (e.g., Taste of Southern RI, Troll Concert, Instrument Petting Zoo).
- Mobile-Friendly & Accessible design for all ages/devices.
- Easy Admin – Client can update events/news themselves (with training provided).
Results and Impact
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Launched in early 2026, the site immediately became the central hub for the band. It now:
- Enables online ticket sales for concerts.
- Drives donations to keep events free.
- Shares their story with wider audiences (Facebook integration, SEO-friendly content).
- Supports community engagement (petting zoos, family events, historical spotlights).
The band now has a professional, engaging online presence that matches their joyful, community-driven music—helping them reach more fans, sell more tickets, and sustain their legacy.
View Live Website: https://www.wakefieldconcertband.org/ Technologies: WordPress, The Events Calendar, PayPal integration, custom graphics/banners, responsive CSS/JavaScript.
Launched
Q1 2026
Platform
WordPress
Customer
Wakefield Concert Band
Check out Main Highlights
The Wakefield Concert Band project is a great example of revitalizing a longstanding community non-profit with a modern, user-friendly website that supports their mission of free, accessible live music in Rhode Island.
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