GIVING BACK con't from p. 32
with the band provides great joy! Ed shares,
“It’s fun! Music is number one! Being able to
play music and share music with others is life–
changing! The pleasure of music is tops, yet we
also have a wonderful time getting together
each week!” As for favorite song? Ed smiles, “I
have a solo in “Basin Street Blues,” and I love
that song!”
The rhythm of the percussion sets the tempo
in tandem with Mollie’s conducting. Keeping
time, Tricia who started playing the drums in 4th
grade now manages the percussion instruments.
She shares, “When I found out about New
Horizons nine years ago after thirty-five years
of not playing, I signed up! To get to do this is a
dream come true, and after each concert, I start
to cry.”
Being involved is truly a dream come true
because since the very beginning, Tricia was
always told she couldn’t do it! Why? “Because
I am a girl!” She doesn’t skip a beat, “Back in
the 1970’s, I had guidance counselors tell me I
was going to be a secretary. The conductor of
my high school band pulled me out of class to
inquire about my plans for the future. When I
told him I wanted to go to music school, he told
me I should think about something else. Girls
were supposed to be secretaries, but I was never
a secretary! You wanna know why? Because I
couldn’t type! Nonetheless, I gave up music
and started working various jobs from retail
management to accounting and soon became a
jack–of–all–trades.”
Forty-five years since the naysayers’
discouraging words, Tricia is now conquering
her dreams to play music! “I’ve always wanted
to do this!” Tricia says, “I play all the percussion,
and I am taking piano lessons because I never
learned to read that kind of music.” Hoping
to encourage girls in the 21st century, Tricia
emphasizes, “Keep music in your life! As a
matter of fact, I recently worked with some
middle school kids, and I took the percussion
section composed of 3 girls and 3 boys and told
GIVING BACK continued GIVING BACK continued
GIVING BACK con't next column
the girls, ‘Don’t stop! Don’t let anyone tell you
that you can’t do it! Get better than them and
make it happen!’”
As practice transitions from swing band
to concert band, a new friend shares her
introduction to the band. With the band pretty
much since the beginning, Marjory Leidy tells,
“Initially I wanted to play the flute because it is
small and easy for me to use. However, the band
needed a French horn, so I thought, ‘How hard
could that be?’ I found out how hard it is—it
takes a lot of air! And it takes a lot of strength
which has been a challenge because I am so
petite. But it has worked out just fine, and it is
nice to be needed.”
Amazingly, Marjory never played an
instrument in childhood! She explains, “I sang
in the church choir, so I could read music, but
I couldn’t play an instrument. I was the first
French horn in the band!” Considering what it
means to be a part of New Horizons, Marjory
shares, “If I am having a bad day, then I come to
practice and become so immersed that I forget
all of my troubles! Playing music demands great
concentration, and the socializing is wonderful.
If I am having a good day, and I come, then
the band makes my day even better. The band
brightens my day. I think everyone else feels
this way. We are in this together; the whole is so
much better than the parts!”
Truly the individual stories flow into a
magnificent symphony. From fifty-seven years
GIVING BACK con't next column
Above, Tricia plays Percussion.
Below, Marjory plays the French horn.
of not playing music to being discouraged by
social norms and hindered by career delays—
no matter the reason for putting down their
instruments, the entire band feels blessed to
once again pick up their instruments, conquer
a dream and continue the love of enjoying
beautiful music! Ed encourages all locals who
may lack the courage to join, “Know that New
Horizons is a non–intrusive environment with
very low barriers. It is fun! If you mess up—it’s
OK. We are a welcoming supportive group who
focuses on the contributions rather than on the
negatives.”
A non–profit 501(c)(3), New Horizons Band
is self–funding as member fees cover the music
and operating costs. In subscribing to the parent
company, each local chapter receives access to
pertinent information and licensed music. In
both the giving and receiving, New Horizons
is a dream come true for all involved. Whether
one performs or listens, lives are being changed
through the local chapter.
New Horizons Band in the Pines’ motto pretty
much sums it up, “Your best is good enough!”
Give them a call, send an email, or better yet
visit a practice on a Tuesday afternoon. Renew
the joy of playing beautiful music surrounded
by friends who are brave enough to pick up
their instrument, invest in friendship, and
perform around town. Ed concludes, “Music is
the human soul set free. Music is the expression
of the inner being of the human being, and the
product can really be a beautiful thing!”☐
New Horizons Band Director Mollie Wilson directs both the swing band & the concert band.
p.34 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 137
/aberdeencarpet.com