Dear Matt,

Even 35 years later, I still vividly remember coming out of the post office my first day on campus to find the friendly faces at the band table asking me if I played an instrument. While I played trombone in my high school band, I thought I surely wouldn’t be proficient enough to play at the “college level.” You soon put my fears to rest and welcomed me, along with many other anxious first-year students, to the world of the Brown Band.

It was such a happy place for me, truly defining my college experience! When I remember my time at Brown, the first thing I think of is my experience with the Band: on the bus, at practice, on the ice, in the stands. It all makes me smile. Thank you, Matt, for creating a bit of order out of chaos, and for making the Brown Band a welcoming, friendly, safe place for so many of us.

Best wishes,

Karen (Weiner) Brandstein ’89
Trombone
Corresponding Secretary for the Band (’87 – ’88 I think?)