Concert tonight!

Tonight the concert band that I play in is giving our third concert of the season. I love playing in this group. I wrote yesterday about how much and why I love my Saturday morning French horn ensemble. I love this band just as much, but differently.

My husband and I joined this band when it was just starting up, 3 or 4 years ago. The conductor is so good - he's knowledgeable, a great communicator, has years of successful experience, and an excellent sense of humor. Because he has such a good reputation, he attracts very good players. So this band is better than many community bands in our area. It's a pleasure to play with these musicians.

Our conductor often chooses challenging music for us. This is a powerful motivator to practice at home! For me, though I love to play, if I don't have some music that I need to learn, it's more difficult to create challenges for myself to practice. We gotten to play old favorites and also pieces that I didn't know before I played them with this band.

My fellow band members are a lot of fun! Our conductor jokes around (in addition to being completely serious about the music) and so do band members. Everyone seems to have a sense of when humor is appropriate and when we should just concentrate on the music. Band members get together after rehearsals and concerts to socialize and yes, have a beer.

I meant to write about the concert tonight, but this seems to have turned into an advertisement for joining a community band! So, I'm looking forward to the concert, hoping to pace myself so I don't get overtired before the end (yes, it's a little like sports), and looking forward to the happy glow after it's over.