"Music kept me in school."

Connie Freestone, Baritone saxophone

Connie Freestone has played a lot of instruments in her lifetime, starting with the accordion at age ten and moving on to recorder, ukelele, clarinet, bass clarinet, and finally the baritone saxophone. “I’ve always liked music,” she says, “and frankly, it was what kept me in school from grade ten onward. I knew that if I didn’t go to school, I wouldn’t get to play in the band.”

Connie has been a member of the Kimberley Community Band since its inception in 1994. She still relishes the band’s experience marching in the 1999 Calgary Stampede, watching the group interact and get to know each other. Connie finds that playing in the band is relaxing, yet gives her a sense of focus. “It takes your brain in a totally different direction. And when you’ve had a really bad day, you go to rehearsal and you leave it feeling good again.”