MONROE – A long to-do list waits for Roger Walker, 42, after coming home from work in the evening.
Three sons need his help with homework. Walker needs to fix the dinner and take care of the dog.
But things are different on Thursday evenings for the Granite Falls man. Walker, a member of the Monroe Community Concert Band, rehearses with other band members for about two hours at a Monroe church.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
“This is my two-hour escape from my life. For two hours, I can forget about anything else, and you just play,” said Walker, who plays saxophone.
The band of volunteers started last summer mainly to give a place for those who played instruments in high school to brush up on their skills, said David Pallo, the group’s music director.
The group, which doesn’t play for money, is sponsored by the Monroe Arts Council, now has about 20 members and seeks new members to form an orchestra.
The group plays classics, such as movie theme songs, Pallo said. Some of the band’s favorites include music from the “Lord of the Rings” movies and the musical “West Side Story.”
The fledging band hopes to conduct community concerts in the future.
“It isn’t college level. It isn’t professional level. It’s fun music we all can play,” Pallo said.
Most band members are from the Skykomish Valley area and have some music experience, Pallo said.
Shiri Rosenstein of Woodinville plays flute in the band. Rosenstein works as a physical therapist at Valley General Hospital in Monroe.
“It’s a lot of fun. That’s the whole thing. It’s just fun to play with a group of people,” said Rosenstein, 42, who started playing flute in the sixth grade.
The group has attracted beginners such as Teyo Santana, of Monroe.
About six moths ago, Santana, 55, began playing trumpet, an instrument he has always wanted to try.
Santana comes early to the rehearsals to receive a private lesson from Pallo. He has improved a lot and now can play seven songs, including “Jingle Bells,” Santana said.
“It’s a really neat sound, like a really happy sound,” he said of trumpet.
Pallo, a music teacher at Gold Bar Elementary School, said that many children in the Sky Valley area have never heard live music because of the lack of community concert bands.
“That’s why we need a group like this for rural areas,” he said.
The band hopes to enhance art activities in the community, Pallo said.
“Live music is unpredictable, especially with our group,” he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Join the band
Monroe Community Concert Band is looking for new members. The band, sponsored by the Monroe Arts Council, rehearses every Thursday 7-9 p.m. at the New Hope Fellowship church, 1016 W. Main St. The band hopes to conduct community concerts in the future.
To join the band, some music knowledge and experience are preferred, but not required. For more information, contact the band at 425-335-5239 or MCCBand@aol.com.
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