03.02.2012 I've played the flute since 5th grade, Willowcrest Elementary, Mokena Illinois. I WANTED to learn to play violin. Perry Freedman, Band Director and trumpet player extraordinaire, said "this is BAND, not Orchestra. We don't do violins. Here...blow across this pop bottle! PERFECT! You're a flute Player. Mom, get her a flute."
:)
So Mom bought this flute somewhere - dunno where she got it. It was a heavy, clunky, PITTED flute, that no one could get a sound out of except me...eventually. (Accommodating THAT flute is more than likely the reason I still have a few playing issues with my current flute, a nice little tooter I bought downtown Indianapolis at Musician's Repair.) Anyway - I stayed in Band all the way thru high school, competent, but never great. I enjoyed playing in Symphonic Band but LOVED Marching Band.
Marching Band, with the high-stepping Big 10 style the Director favored, probably was the start of my current knee problems, but man oh man, it was fun! In deference to my faulty knees, I did NOT do marching band in college at Illinois State University, something I regret to this day.
So my pitted flute was put away, and eventually sold at a garage sale for 10 bucks.
I missed playing in a band tho. Once a Band Geek, Always a Band Geek. And a Band Geek NEEDS a band to play in, for the JOY of it all. Luckily, each of my 3 boys wanted to play an instrument and I got involved in their Band Program. So involved that yep, I played my new flute in Football and Basketball Pep Bands AND was lucky enough to play for a few high school Musicals.
The boys graduated high school one by one (see the PS below) and I left the area. My flute lay silent in the case.
BUT! I now live in Greenwood Indiana, and there is a Community Band! No Auditions Required! All are Welcome! For the past few Thursday nights, I've had the Extreme Pleasure of playing in a Band full of people who've been Band Geeks for YEARS (looking around, there is quite the range of life years..let's just say I am not the oldest or the youngest) and like me, do NOT want to walk away from that sense of unity, the sense of creating MUSIC with others.
Again, I'm not great, I'm only competent. I know what my fingers will do, what they won't, and what I might just be able to pull off with practice. On occasion these past few weeks, I have found myself NOT playing, simply SMILING as the sound surrounds me. I know the director has seen this - flute players are always in the front row - there's no hiding.
He might have thought "oh, oh - a crazy woman!" But more than likely, he completely understood why I was smiling. I don't know anything of his background, except that he is a retired High School Band Director.
Evidently he can't stay away either. :)
PS. My youngest son, the drummer, lives in an apartment, and has to limit himself to banging on an Irish bodhran. My middle son has mentioned he misses playing the saxophone, but the community band in his town practices during the DAY. My oldest son played trumpet in college, met his wife in the trumpet section, and they both still play in a church band AND a community band. He even bought a tux to wear for the concerts!
