A community band is always a cluster of compromises. The trick is to find one that's "close enough" to what you want, and where you're "close enough" to what it wants and needs. Different bands have different "cultures" and "shared attitudes and goals". There's even a kind of "degree of toxicity" or "degree comaraderie" scale, and one for "Are we here for music or for social interaction?" A good conductor and good band leadership (officers, board, etc.) contribute a lot to this. I've seen it change substantially over a period of one season with the departure of a poor conductor and the appearance of a good one.
Another thing that (in my experience) greatly affects a band in several ways is the average age of its members. A band that consists primarily of people in their 60s and beyond (i.e., mostly retirees) will have both certain advantages and certain disadvantages compared to a band where the average age is in the 40s or 50s (and hence most members have jobs that can interfere with rehearsal attendance -- though they may be more able players). And I love having student-age people in the band (even some middle schoolers, as appropriate). But the students (even through college and graduate school) are almost universally (though not entirely) undependable in terms of their attendance and having what might be referred to as "adult habits and attitudes". It's always an adventure.
And you have to have sympathy for the poor conductor who -- having crafted an excellent program that is entertaining, listenable, and challenging-but-not-too-challenging -- learns three weeks before the major concert that his first trombone player has to fly to China for a work assignment and won't be in the country for the concert. This actually worked out quite well (this past Saturday), but it's always something. People get sick, go on vacation, have to tend to family matters, go on business trips, have sudden work loads imposed on them, or just decide that they need some time off. A good conductor (at managing such a goofy group -- not just at conducting) makes all the difference, shrugs off these things, reallocates resources, and does his/her best. It's not exactly a thankless job, but few realize what goes into it.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)