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Local families find bonding in band

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer Updated 5:58 PM Thursday, March 4, 2010

Members of a band often say their group is like family. For many members of the Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band, the group isn’t like family — it is family.

According to Chris Brandenburg, the director of the orchestra, at least 10 groups of people from throughout the Middletown and Hamilton areas are family members who play in the 93-member band, which hosts a free concert at 2:30 p.m. today, March 7, at the Dave Finkelman auditorium at the Miami University Middletown campus.

One of those groups consists of Anne and Jerry Lapham, a husband and wife who live in Monroe. He plays trombone; she plays percussion, including cymbals and triangles.

“He always went, but I worked and had the kids. I joined after I retired,” Anne said. She’s been with the SOSB for 15 years; Jerry joined in 1971, shortly after the group was formed in 1968.

“I really enjoy it being something we do together,” Jerry said.

Anne freely admits music isn’t really her forte, but said she still enjoys being in the band.

“I’m not real talented. You have to have rhythm and you have to show up. They (the other band members) read music and I don’t. I just read counting, but I enjoy it,” Anne said.

The arrangement is similar for Susan Hendrickson and her husband, Scott, of Trenton. She plays percussion in the band; he plays clarinet. Scott has been in the band since its inception, and Susan joined 10 years ago.

“She got into it enough that she started taking lessons,” Scott said, adding that his wife plays bells and chimes.

“For us it’s great. We get to see each other, that’s the cool thing,” he said. “It’s a night out for us.”

Susan concurred, adding, “The best thing about it is the drive going there and back — uninterrupted time.”

Stephanie Ploetz, 26, plays French horn in the band with her sister, Emily Frankel, 31, who plays flute. They live in West Chester Twp. The siblings joined the band about two years ago. Being in the group gives them a chance to play music together, something they couldn’t do in school.

“Both of us were in band in high school, and we both went to Lakota, but we were five years apart and never got to play with each other,” Ploetz said.

Without the band, “We wouldn’t have time to ever see each other,” she said. “It’s really our thing. We get together once a week on Thursday” for rehearsals.

James D. Reboulet, 65, of Hamilton, plays alto saxophone in the band, while his son, James C. Reboulet, 31, plays trombone.

“I think we have something in common, so this helps us get closer to each other,” James C. said of the musical bond with his father.

The elder Reboulet said the familial aspect helps make the band atmosphere casual, though the players take music seriously.

“They’ve got people who can play the hard parts and you’ve got people like me who can’t play the hard parts,” said James D., who quoted a popular saying with the band: “We’re not here to play instruments, we’re here to make music.”

The musical selections of this afternoon’s concert will include the polka and fugue from “Schwanda the Bagpiper” as a tribute to the late Cincinnati Pops Conductor Eric Kunzel, who played it frequently. Other numbers will include “The First Suite” in E flat by Gustavo Holst and “Overture to Candide” by Leonard Bernstein.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.