Scraps of Home

The Director
Dr. David Kish was our director. He was funny and had a great ear. He could tell if one player was just a tiny bit flat in any section when the whole band was playing. I was impressed, to say the least. He was also kind enough not to do more than make a pained expression when I'd play something wrong. I'm glad he's agreed to direct our concert again this coming Fall.




The Band
The Thornton Community Band was pulled together quickly and only had 8 weeks to rehearse, but everyone did an outstanding job. I feel like I learned a lot this season. The music was challenging enough to really make me work hard to master it, but still fun to play.








The Trombonists
There were actually seven trombone players in our group, but I only managed to get a picture with two of them. Everyone else left too quickly after the concert. One of them, Mike (not holding a trombone in the photo) was the soloist. He was absolutely amazing. When I first met him I thought, "this is what a trombonist should seem like." He's just got a great persona, very laid back, laughs a lot, constantly encouraging others, and simply loves to play his instrument. He was one of the original organizers of the band, too. The other guy pictured here is Larry. He shared the second trombone part with me and put up with my teasing about his valve trombone. He's just a really nice guy, fun to know. I hope he comes back next Fall.


The Stage Hand
Kevin got in on the act after the concert was over. Danya and Gloria helped me flip the tops of the music stands over so they could be stacked in the racks. Kevin carried a stand across the stage to help put it away. It was bigger than he was, but he managed to carry it. I wish I'd gotten a good photo of him with it. He was fascinated by all the different kinds of percussion instruments and equipment. Then again, at his age anything you can bang on is cool.