Synergy is the word that springs to mind when I think about the band. Individual parts coming together to create a whole. That is how I felt thirty odd years ago when I was placed in the Junior High School band class. Together we learned a new language and from sound, came music. Through the process we created strong bonds and lasting memories. It made us feel special and privileged, plus we got to skip classes.
More than thirty years later I was invited to pick up the clarinet once again. Despite my protests and doubts I am again making music. There are some old faces but mostly new ones, yet there is still the same old fun. We laugh our way through the challenge of reading music, and trying to remember where to place our fingers to make the right sounds. Our arms and fingers and mouths get tired and sore more quickly than they used to, but the surprise and delight when we finally get a piece of music right, more than justifies the effort. For me, being in the band means helping to keep the mind agile, without repercussion for falling short of perfection. It is about making new friendships and re-establishing old ones. It is about making music, no mater how rudimentary, because I love music and I love hearing how the various elements fit together. Most importantly it is about being part of the synergistic process, creating melody and harmony from seemingly disparate and sometimes discordant sounds.
The band in fact, is a great paradigm for peaceful co-existence; knowing when to recede and when to advance and doing so willingly, for the greater good, for the band.
