Notes of Dissent Marching Band wants you to join them

When Notes of Dissent Marching Band first appeared publicly on June 14, 2025, at the No Kings protest, they didn’t arrive as a novelty act. They showed up as something Colorado protest culture has been missing: organized sound, collective rhythm, and an open invitation to participate, regardless of skill level.

Since that debut, Notes of Dissent hasn’t faded back into rehearsal spaces. They’ve become a regular presence at actions across the Front Range, using music to amplify protest, build community, and make resistance unmistakably audible.

The band spans Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs, and it’s built intentionally around access rather than polish. You don’t need to march. You don’t need to read music. You don’t need to own an instrument. What matters is showing up and being willing to contribute to something collective.

How Notes of Dissent Is Showing Up

Notes of Dissent now regularly attends GEO/ICE Detention Center vigils in Aurora every third Wednesday at 6:00 pm, committing to a consistent presence outside the facility as part of ongoing opposition to immigration detention.

They’re also a fixture at the ongoing protest of Drip Café in Denver, which is operated by a church with a documented history of anti-LGBTQ positions. The café describes itself as a faith-based nonprofit aimed at serving Denver’s unhoused community, a mission that has drawn both supporters and sustained criticism from local organizers.

In addition to recurring actions, Notes of Dissent mobilizes around one-off protests and town halls when they arise, particularly those connected to ICE facilities and enforcement. Participation isn’t rigid—people are encouraged to show up where they can, when they can, and plug in locally.

Rehearsals Across the Front Range

Rather than centralizing in one city, the band rehearses regionally:

• Denver meets Sundays at Washington Park

• Fort Collins rehearses Sundays at Twin Silo Park

• Colorado Springs gathers Sundays at America the Beautiful Park

• Boulder meets Saturdays at East Boulder Community Park

All rehearsals are weather-permitting and structured to welcome beginners, returners, and people figuring it out as they go.

Coordination and Collective Decision-Making

Notes of Dissent holds a weekly online band meeting, where members are encouraged to participate in discussions and decisions shaping the group’s direction. The structure reflects how the band operates in the street: collaborative, flexible, and member-driven.

Who Can Join

The band is actively welcoming low brass, percussion, strings, vocalists, dancers, and color guard—but the list doesn’t stop there. People who haven’t played since high school. People who can’t march. People without instruments. People who don’t read music.

Notes of Dissent has loaner instruments. They welcome all physical abilities. They accommodate access needs. The emphasis isn’t on performance, it’s on participation.

In a political moment that thrives on exhaustion and isolation, Notes of Dissent is turning protest into shared sound—loud, collective, and unapologetic.

Learn more about them on their website or make a donation, so they can keep marching on, turning resistance into rhythm.

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