If you took piano lessons from Miss Brooks, then you were obligated to be in her Rhythm Band. She held piano recitals twice a year at the Trinity Church in downtown Elmira - and just about every one of her students would get to play a solo on the piano. Afterward, the Rhythm Band performed in full regalia (that's shined shoes and combed hair for all of you under 30 years old out there).

We'd do all the Sousa stuff like Stars and Stripes Forever and a holiday tune sometimes like March of the Toys. There were marimbas, castanets, cymbals, snare drums, kazoos - oh, my.

Yes, it was noise, but it was OUR noise.

If you are in this photo and would like to have a full-sized version of it in digital format e-mailed to you, please click here. Also - since my memory has abandoned me again as it does frequently these days, I would be very grateful if you would identify yourself and some of the others in the photo that you might remember. It would be nice to eventually get as many of the names as possible.

To see the names we already have, move your mouse pointer over each person in the photo above. Either the person's name will pop up next to your mouse pointer, or a Question Mark (?).