[Trombone-l] Trombones

[Denny Seifried]

Joe & Pat---what a neat story and it has really made my day, reading what 
you have posted. I surely have to offer congrats. to you and your 
trombone-playing wife.

Regarding when to stop playing---This is a very difficult issue and one that 
I find myself dealing with and thinking about, almost every time I pick-up 
the trombone. I find myself, at the age of 64 and 8 months, thinking about 
the day I will have to end my long playing career. What I worry about most, 
is becoming a "burden" on my section-mates. To make matters worse, I am 
currently working with a couple of friends who should have retired and are 
not even taking the "signals" they are receiving from leaders and section 
mates. I surely do not want to place myself, ever, in that position with the 
fine musicians I work with in SW Ohio.

I am very lucky that I retired from public-school teaching in 1995 and after 
the loss of my wife in 2000, I re-dedicated myself to the trombone and have 
practiced more in these past 7 years, than I ever did in my younger days, 
mainly due to the lack of hours-in-the-day. I find this has really helped in 
retarding the degradation most suffer, just do to aging of the human body, 
when we hit "senior" status, like it or not. I still have not gotten a grip 
on my physical health, as much as I would like, especially with weight-gain, 
which does not improve one's ability to breathe nor play the trombone any 
better.

I promised my self I would be on the 5-year-plan. I would take a serious 
look at my playing at 60, then at 65, another serious look at my playing. 
After the 65-year check-up, I am moving to a yearly look at where my playing 
is. Luckily, I still get a lot of calls for work, which is usually the first 
sign, as a free-lance player, if you have fallen off the wagon. If you see 
you are working less and less, yet other players are getting the calls, I 
would see this as a sign, the end of my professional career could be coming 
sooner, than later.

I just want to quit while people remember me as a good player. Like I said, 
I have had a couple of friends older than myself, who cause fellow musicians 
to cringe, when they get an instrument out of the case. I don't want to 
place myself into that category, ever!

Hope this will make sense to you.

Denny Seifried
Bass Trombone-Springfield (OH) Symphony & Dayton Jazz Orchestra
Adjunct Trombone-Wittenberg Univ. Dept. of Music
Forum Moderator-The Trombone Forum (http://tromboneforum.org)



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pat and Joe Chapman" <chapman at pioneer.net>
To: <TROMBONE-L at server5.samford.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 9:49 AM
Subject: [Trombone-l] Trombones


> >
>> This is a love story that involves trombones, and at the end I will
>> ask a question that I hope will legitimize my using the trombone
>> list to tell the story.
>> As high school students we met in the band in the trombone
>> section.  She sat at the first chair position, and I came in as a
>> freshman, sitting at third chair.  I thought she was awfully bossy,
>> and as band captain she had a lot to say.  However, as love would
>> have it, by the end of the year we were going steady.  Playing in
>> the band was fun, and playing together was even more fun.  Several
>> years after high school we were married, and continued the trombone
>> playing for a couple of years.  Family gradually took all of our
>> attention, and with four wonderful sons we spent many hours at
>> their sporting events, and yes, at their band and choral concerts.
>> It should be no surprise that all four played low brass instruments
>> - two of them using our instruments that brought us together.  Our
>> sons' musical activities rekindled our trombone interest, and we
>> found ourselves playing in community musical organizations.
>> Retirement and a move to the Oregon coast left us thinking we would
>> be playing duets together if nothing more.  We were wrong on that
>> score, and now, a dozen years later we find ourselves playing more
>> than ever in our lives.  It is still fun.  We play in a community
>> concert band, a brass ensemble and also in a big band.  Of course,
>> she is still playing first chair, but I changed to bass trombone
>> along the way.  Throughout our lives together, the ties that bind
>> have been our sons and their families and our love affair that has
>> included the trombone.  Our story doesn't have  an ending yet, but
>> our 50th wedding anniversary is on June 8th,  and I wanted to
>> celebrate that day and share the happiness that trombones, life and
>> love  have brought us.
>> Oh - the question:  At what age should one consider hanging up his
>> trombone and become just a listener?  (My own answer is "probably
>> never.")...................Joe Chapman
>> Pat Chapman, the lady trombonist, is a member of the trombone
>> list.  This story is for her.
>>
>>
>>
>
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