Hello

Well this is a test of new waters for me. I finally have some time to try this out and see what happens. Hang in there folks. I'm getting old.
The first secret out, is that if you really want to know me, you must know that I would love to be a conductor. Not a train conductor, but an orchestra conductor. I think it began when my parents took us to a 4th of July concert in a near by village when I was an early elementary school-age student. They were playing Sousa marches and I was hoping to be picked to "conduct" one of the songs. I didn't get picked, but I have always wished I could have the oppurtunity to conduct. Mind you , this comes from someone whose college flute teacher finally said to me one day out of exasperation, "Ken,(with a Texas drawl) try to make it sound musical!"
After hearing Karl Haas one evening state "how there is a first time for everyone to hear a classical piece, such as Beethoven's 5th", I realized what a thrill it would be to conduct a youth orchestra or I imagine being Beethoven and conducting that piece for the first time. I was exposed to classical music by a friend of my brother, who had Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" on a record. He let me borrow it and I have always loved that piece.
So that being said, welcome to HeartlandGemutlichkeit and make yourself feel at home.