Luke Fritz has been playing the trumpet since his elementary school days in the Franklin Regional School District.

He continued engaging with music while attending college at the University of Pittsburgh, even though he was majoring in geology.

“I think music and bands have always fostered a camaraderie that you might not always get in other aspects of your life,” said Fritz, 31, of New Kensington.

That’s why Fritz decided to sign up for the new University of Pittsburgh Summer Concert Band.

The university’s assistant director of bands, Michael Buckstein, floated the idea this past school year.

“Our bands director, Brad Townsend, has been thinking about something like this for a few years now,” Buckstein said. “I’ve gone back to Indiana University of Pennsylvania each year because one of my old professors organizes something similar. I’ve really enjoyed it, so I spoke with him and he gave me his blessing to steal the idea.”

Townsend was on board immediately.

“I’ve always been interested in doing something to engage our alums and give them a chance to play with students,” he said.

Fritz and Buckstein played together in the trumpet section of Pitt’s marching band.

“He reached out to me and some other alumni about the summer concert band and I think it’s a really cool opportunity,” Fritz said. “Sometimes with music, it’s a little more difficult to stay with it once you’re out of high school or college, so this is a good way to keep up with it.”

Abby Diamond, 21, of Cranbury, N.J., is headed into her senior year at Pitt. Because she already planned to remain in Pittsburgh this summer, she jumped at the opportunity to join the summer concert band.

“I’m also not a music major, but I’ve been in the marching band the past three years,” she said. “Music has made me feel so connected to the Pitt community, especially since we’re playing at athletic events. I’m definitely going to continue playing music after college, even if it’s in a community band.”

That is precisely the notion Townsend said he and Buckstein are hoping to foster with the project.

“As a band director, one of the things you want most is to give your students the tools and the desire to continue playing after their education.”

Members of the summer concert band will get together for two rehearsals in advance of the July 25 concert, which will be free and open to the public at Bellefield Hall on Pitt’s main campus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

Moonyoung Hwang, 19, of Fox Chapel, is a Pitt student majoring in biochemistry and has been playing the flute for almost a dozen years.

“With my major, it’s hard to find time to do something like marching band,” Hwang said. “But music is just such a big part of my life, I wanted to take any opportunity I could to play.”

Ethan Chirdon, 25, of Shaler reached out immediately when he saw the callout for people to join the band.

“I was part of the symphonic band at Pitt, and I knew it was something I wanted to do,” said Chirdon, a percussionist who particularly enjoys getting behind his section’s massive timpani drums.

The concert will be centered mainly around America’s 250th anniversary, with multiple pieces by marching band icon John Philip Sousa, but also medleys of songs by legendary film score composer John Williams and the Beach Boys.

“Michael is really good at curating songs for a performance like this,” Fritz said. “I really like the summer-y vibe he’s got going, with patriotic songs for the 250th anniversary, but there’s also the Beach Boys piece. The Beach Boys was the first CD I remember listening to when I was a kid. And I really love John Williams.”

Chirdon said he’s looking forward to a medley of cowboy movie songs called “Best of the West” and also the Frank Ticheli arrangement of the American folk song “Shenandoah.”

“It’s got some nice melodic percussion in it,” he said. “We did a couple of Ticheli pieces when I was in the Pitt symphonic band, and all of them had a lot of neat doubling between the tubas and timpanis.”

Fritz said he’s excited to be a part of the new initiative.

“I was section leader in the marching band my senior year, so I’ve always had a place in my heart for Pitt band, and I think it’s really cool that Michael is trying to expand it,” Fritz said. “Luckily playing an instrument is kind of like riding a bike, and you can pick it up quickly again.”

Hwang said the summer concert band is a great way to build community.

“Every ensemble I’ve ever played in, I walk away with a few new friends and new people I’ve met,” she said. “It’s bigger than career or other interests you might have. We’re all there to bring people joy through music and I think it’s really beautiful.”

While registration for this season’s inaugural summer concert band is full, anyone interested can fill out a form available at Facebook.com/pittband to go on the waitlist.

The University of Pittsburgh Summer Concert Band will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. July 25 at Bellefield Hall, 315 S. Bellefield Ave. in Oakland.