I have been playing the flute since I was about twelve years old. Music and the flute have been a huge part of my life and my identity ever since.
I was a member of the Oak Ridge Community Band (Oak Ridge, Tennessee) for almost 30 years, until I got kicked out for shushing some children. (See my post of 26 June 2022.) This is a band that takes in everybody who wishes to join, with no dues required, but nevertheless has managed to maintain a high level of performance. It plays eight regular concerts a year, four indoor and four outdoor. In addition, there is a Showcase Concert each January, featuring small ensembles playing often more difficult things without a conductor, a Christmas Concert in December, including carols for the audience to sing along to, and occasionally a special performance of a subset of the band. Some of its programs are shown in the sidebar on the left.
I have been a member of the Tennessee Valley Ensemble (Knoxville, Tennessee) for about ten years. This is a service band, i.e., one that plays free concerts, mostly for folks in retirement homes, but also at the Oak Ridge Farmer’s Market, the University of Tennessee Medical Center (a major hospital), and at parks. This too is a band that takes in everybody, but recently we went to a dues regime so that we could pay our conductor and buy some new music. We have two concert cycles a year, late January-May and August-early December, during which we play a total of approximately ten concerts. Some of our programs are shown in the sidebar on the left.
I have always been interested in arranging music, as a way of playing music that otherwise would not be available (because there is no existing arrangement for concert band). Several years ago, I took two semesters of music theory at the community college where I was tutoring so that I could really get a grip on harmonization. I have made various arrangements since then that I would like to publish. (Somebody, tell me how to go about it!)
As I am sure other people heavily into listening to and making music have experience also, I am very attuned to whatever music is being played wherever I am. In the grocery store, for example, I am usually very aware of what song is being played over the PA system, to the extent that sometimes I lose track of what I am looking for. The music intrudes on my consciousness even as I try to ignore it. This is sometimes a curse and sometimes a blessing, for sure……
