Hey Matt,

CONGRATULATIONS upon your retirement from Brown University.

Now it’s time to kick back and consider jumping into some of important long term projects and skills you always wanted to do, but could never find the time.

• Play a couple rounds of golf – at least four days a week.
• Fish (one day a week in salt water, another day in fresh water).
• Clean out your trombone… ahhhhh, maybe that can wait until next year… or later.
• Drive around campus in your new sport car (top down off course). Put those large Heavy Metal speakers in the car (you know, the ones with the “enhanced” bass) and tune into the local Acid Rock station. Volume up!
• Learn (memorize) the Frank Zappa Song Book……In all keys……and time signatures. Plus ALL the timbales breaks ever played by Tito Puente – executed with all of his personalized “mouth” contortions.
• Expand your cooking recipe repertoire by learning 25 different NEW kale dishes….. then eat them.
• Try and learn to play the trombone in tune…..actually, I ought to advise you NOT to waste your time on that. You can’t do everything.
• Learn the “lyrics” to each of the Ivy Band’s “special” third (or fourth) verse to their respective school’s Alma Mater.

Most importantly – you’ve build a musical environment that has fostered creative thinking for generations of students. In doesn’t get much better than that. Congratulations.

Best wishes for good health and happiness.

INC
Tom

Tom Everett
Director of Bands, Emeritus
Harvard University