Four years ago, two friends and myself started a sheet music library
at the Quincy Village Retirement Community where we live.  Most of
our residents are still quite active even though up in years.  We
were given a box of 600 pieces of sheet music dating from around 1900
to the 1930s.  Most of it is out of print.  We listed each piece in
a data base along with notations like the key it is printed in, and
level of difficulty.  We printed out an index so that we could access
any piece of music easily in the library.

Today, that library has grown to 20,000 pieces of music.  We started
several ensembles who play music and sing this old music.  One band
(or ensemble) plays swing and jazz from around the turn of the century.
We soon learned that another group had formed to play country music
from the '30s through the '60s.

Word has traveled to a few local bands outside our retirement village
and they occasionally send someone to search the index for specific
music.  If we have what they are looking for, we will make one copy for
them to take.  Because of copyright laws we cannot print more than one
copy for someone's personal use.

This library evolved into another library of loanable instruments for
our residents to borrow (woodwind, strings, percussion etc.).  We are
having so much fun playing and performing this material for both our
neighbors and local outside gigs.  This past Thursday, we had a concert
at a local Lutheran Church.

This past Saturday, a friend took me to see the collection of automatons
and mechanical music instruments at the Morris Museum in Morristown,
NJ.  What a joy to see so many pieces of quality instruments preserved
and on display.  We made a mistake by going on a Saturday.  The museum
was full of young parents with overactive, uncontrolled children
between the ages of infant to about 10 years old.  The museum lacks
sound absorbing panels, so it was very hard for the serious collector
to the different displays and instruments.  The kids ran around pushing
buttons and being so loud that we will go to the museum another time
when kids are not out of school.  It trip was 225 miles one way for us.

Al Good
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania