December 4, 2009 - The members of the Colonie Town Band know a thing or two about music. Now, they are trying to pass some of their knowledge on to aspiring musicians at Maplewood Elementary.

Maplewood Elementary music teacher Lisa Verchereau, who is also a member of the Colonie Town Band, invited some of her fellow band-mates to help students who learning to play certain instruments. Charlie Flanagan, Frank Waddington, Dana Yanulavich, Andy Gisondi, Shannon Kehn and Marcia Coding are just a few of the members who stop by each week and help.

Maplewood student, Jaclyn Vigo (left), is just starting to learn to play the French horn. Each week, Charlie Flanagan, a fellow horn player, stops by and practices with Jaclyn during her lessons. The two, under the supervision of Verchereau, have recently been working on songs that will be heard at Maplewood’s winter concert on December 16.

By having the members from the Colonie Town Band stop by, it enables the student to gain important knowledge and techniques about their instrument that they can take with them as they grow musically.

“They (Colonie Town Band members) want to come in and help,” Verchereau said. “The students really enjoy it.”

For more information on the Colonie Town Band, visit their web site, www.colonietownband.org .