Member Name:

Barb Altonberg

Year Joined Community Band:

1989

Spouse / Sig Other, Children:

Daughters Lisa (French teacher; flutist and private teacher) and Wendy (Attorney; former flutist); Granddaughter Abigail (potential flutist-although she loves her drum!)

Work / Profession (if retired, former):

HF-L High School library assistant

Part-time Mendon Public Library clerk
 

Personal Pursuits:

(such as: sports/recreation, volunteer work, hobbies, crafts, family activities, special accomplishments)

 Church bell choir

Church committees

Working on high school musicals

Senior High Youth Group advisor – highlight is yearly summer mission trips

Yearbook advisor for 17 years

 Favorite activities:  Reading, my book club, walking, spending time with my daughters and granddaughter and my mom, eating out with all my dinner groups, going to Old Forge.

 Special accomplishments:  My family, and working with the students at HF-L for 20 years.
 

Music Background:

(such as: your start, experience, education, mentor, inspiration, interesting or humorous personal story, accomplishments)

 I played the flute throughout junior and senior high school. Bill Goddard, a former member of our band, was my teacher at Avon Central  (a wonderful man, and surely missed). I didn’t play again for twenty years.  My daughter, Lisa, was a charter member of our band (while in high school) and encouraged me to join.  No, it wasn’t just like riding a bike again after all those years!  Wendy was also in the band during high school and for two summer seasons both of my daughters and I were in the band (same section!) together.
 

Other Bands Play(ed) With:

What you most enjoy, or find especially fulfilling, about being a part of Community Band:

I’ve met so many wonderful people over the years as a member and have formed great friendships.  I like the challenge of learning to play a piece and being proud of telling others I’m in the Community Band.  I love the mix of adults and teens, whom I know from school, and also, seeing former students come back to play.

Of the music we play, is there a type or piece that is your favorite:

My favorites are the holiday music, the marches, and the medleys of show tunes.