Thanks for creating such a wonderful thread topic!!
I was in early junior high school. I wanted to play the trombone but none were available and my uncle who played trumpet himself got one for me. In retrospect , I am glad that only the trumpet was available but I remember not feeling that way at the time!
I went on to play in high school marching, orchestra and dixieland bands as well as travel around the U.S. with an American Legion band.
After college I stopped playing and pursued a career in high school and college teaching. About 6 to 8 months ago I , once again, got the urge to play and bought a horn on ebay. I now play for my own enjoyment and I'm in the arduous process of trying to build up my chops again after about a 25-30 year layoff!! OUCH!! It sometimes can be frustrating to encounter pieces that I vividly remember killing as a "kid" and now struggle with but it's such a pleasure to just relax with the horn and blow....
my father who also played in a band with me years ago, was delighted to learn that I had once again taken up the horn.
A few weeks later I played taps at his funeral...I may buy better horns in the future but I'll never sell that old Yamaha 2320 and I still blow taps sometimes while practicing and think of him.
