Born Again Trombone Man!

I am quite pleased with myself right now. Having not played the trombone since 1955 when I was a senior in high school I began playing again last January.

For the first month I rented a horn from a local music store to make sure I was going to be able to manage it. No problem. I purchased a brand new horn with an F Attachment on-line. I practice every day.

If you played back in your high school days and you drifted away from it during the normal course of life it might be fun to go back to your music. I am telling you the feeling of making music is beyond description. Especially when you are able to make music with other people in about the same situation as yourself.

My "beginners" group consisted of a drummer, two clarinets, a trumpet and myself on trombone. One of the clarinet players had never played clarinet before! The rest of us had previous experiences.

Our director is a lovely young woman that has taught music in middle school for more than a dozen years and is on a leave of absence to raise children. Her wonderful husband is the director of the intermediate as well as the advanced concert band. Both absolutely wonderful people as well as teachers.

Our final session consisted of a concert Wednesday night for all three groups. We had about a hundred guests who came to watch us.

At the end of August the program continues and I will be moving up to the intermediate band. I am looking forward to that. In the meantime I have enrolled in an eight week concert band lab here in our local community college. I know I will be in over my head to start with but I am retired, I practice a lot every day, and I can hardly wait to begin.

My group is The New Horizons Band hosted by the NAAM headquarters here in California. They provide us with our practice space as well as chairs, music stands etc.

Regardless of age or how long you have been away from your music; if you have that feeling or even just a whim that you would like to play music again follow through on it. I could have started this program two years ago but my first inclination was that it was not just the lapse of time but I automatically thought I was way to old. Well the distance between 1955 and 2006 was no barrier and I found out I wasn't too old either. You would be amazed how much of what you knew quickly comes back to you. Only five months into it and I now read music far better than I did in high school. Being able to actually read music holds a great facination for me. I never thought I would be able to do it in a million years.

If you are not as fortunate as I have been with an existing program, check with your local high school or community college, music stores? See if they know of any group that "rejuvenates" lapsed musicians or might be interested in organizing something.

People are hesitant, shy at first but once they start putting some wind through their horn? They cannot get enough of it!