Nearly
Nine Decades
of Music
From a Depression-era youth program patrolling Denver's streets with silver cap pistols, to the community band performing across the Front Range today.
Born from the
Badge, 1937
A Band Built on the Beat
The Denver Police Protective Association founded the Denver Junior Police Band in 1937 during the waning years of the Great Depression. The idea was simple: give Denver's young people structure, discipline, and something to be proud of. New members were issued uniforms patterned exactly after the Denver Police Department's own dress blues — right down to the badge.
From day one, the band competed in parades across the metro area, going head-to-head with the Highlanders Boys Band — a more militaristic rival that carried rifles. The Junior Police Band countered with precision musicianship. First-year member Jack Wyatt, who joined at age twelve, later recalled that the competition was fierce and the pride even fiercer.
The band quickly grew into a multi-ensemble organization. By 1954 it had a permanent home inside the PPA's newly constructed headquarters building.
The Scale of a Legacy
Continuous History
Inaugurations
Strength
Today
A Timeline
Eight Decades Long
At its peak, the Denver Junior Police Band was not a single band but a system of five ensembles operating under one organization, including a dedicated "Inaugural Band" that represented Denver on the national stage. Members progressed through a military-style rank structure — beginning as cadets and working their way up toward sergeant and captain, earning the full uniform and badge along the way.
"Our uniforms were patterned exactly after the Denver Police uniforms. We even had badges and holsters with little silver cap pistols."— Jack Wyatt, charter member (joined 1937, age 12)
The band had a succession of accomplished directors who gave it its musical identity. Lowell Little led the organization in the early 1950s while simultaneously directing the bands at the University of Denver. Dr. Jolivette shaped the ensemble through the early-to-mid 1960s. Stewart L. "Lloyd" Bowen took the baton in the late 1960s and conducted the band deep into the 1980s — remembered fondly by alumni who were still posting about him online as recently as 2025.
The organization also left a documented recorded legacy. A 1952 NBC reference recording from KOA radio's "Review in Blue" program features a teenage band member as a guest soloist alongside the Lowry Air Force Base band. Multiple commercial LPs were pressed across the decades — well enough distributed that collectors are still finding them at estate sales today.
The Passarelli Audition, 1956
In 1956, a seven-year-old named Kenny Passarelli walked in to audition for the Denver Junior Police Band. He didn't make it. He went on to become the touring bassist for Elton John, Dan Fogelberg, Hall & Oates, and Joe Walsh — and co-wrote "Rocky Mountain Way." The Junior Police Band's reject list may be the most distinguished in Denver music history.
Directors Across
the Decades
How Bingo
Brought Down a Band
The Bingo Scandal
Organizers of the band's fundraising bingo games are found to be paying themselves out of proceeds — a direct violation of Colorado state bingo law. Two Denver police officers affiliated with the program are formally suspended.
The Governance War
A bitter dispute erupts between parent volunteers and the Police Protective Association over who has the authority to run the organization. Acting Police Chief Tom Coogan declares the situation "unclear" and mandates new bylaws. Authority is ultimately consolidated with the PPA.
The Band Folds
Two years after the governance crisis is resolved, the band collapses under the weight of funding shortfalls. After 50 years of continuous operation — through the Depression, World War II, the Korean War, and the space race — the Denver Junior Police Band goes silent.
An Eight-Year
Silence, Then Revival
For eight years, Denver went without its Junior Police Band. The silence coincided with a steep decline in school music programs — by the mid-1990s, only 14 of 81 Denver Public Schools elementary programs still had instrumental music.
The revival came through an unlikely combination of community commitment and corporate support. Tom Moxcey, owner of the Old Chicago restaurant chain, went to City Hall looking for a youth program to sponsor and was pointed toward the dormant Junior Police Band. His company provided instruments, uniforms, and registration fee assistance for more than sixty young members at relaunch.
Music director Jacinda Mullins and program director Nyla Luckey led the artistic rebuild, with Pam Endsley of the Colorado Symphony joining the board of directors. The organization was legally reincorporated in October 1994 and received 501(c)(3) status in September 1995. Over the next six years it evolved from its marching band roots into a broader community ensemble, adopting the name Mile High Community Band in 2001 — though the legal entity remains the Denver Junior Police Band Corporation to this day.
The Band Today:
Three Ensembles, One Mission
The Mile High Community Band operates three ensembles across the Denver metro area, rehearsing weekly and performing primarily in Jefferson County. Participation is open to all skill levels and income is never a barrier to membership.
"To bring high quality concert and jazz music and music education to a diverse population in the Denver metropolitan area — including performance experience for band members of all backgrounds."