John Towner waved his conductor’s baton and arms fluidly on Friday while his concert band played an overture from the opera “Carmen.”

Suddenly, the former high school music teacher, who retired in 1988, heard something he didn’t like from his brass section.

“That was kind of out of tune. C’mon, guys,” he said.

A few seconds later, he started the band playing again.

Towner’s energy was evident throughout Friday’s weekly rehearsal for the New Horizons Band, comprised of seniors from the area with or without significant musical experience.

“I think these bands were supposed to be for people who haven’t played instruments in awhile,” Towner said. “Well, we’ve got some people that play here pretty well.”

The band rehearses weekly at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt., and plays several concerts each year. The group started in 1996 with about 10 musicians, said Towner, who moved back to Lawrence in 2001. He is in his third year with the New Horizons Band.

Performers in the New Horizons Band practice with conductor John Towner, front, on Friday at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt.

“This is a fun group to work with,” Towner said. “We need to do quite a bit more recruiting because we’re getting low on our reed musicians.”

Eight woodwind players, 16 brass players and three percussionists contributed during Friday’s one-hour rehearsal, where the band played five songs, including an overture from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Former KU physics professor Bob Friauf, of Lawrence, clutched his clarinet after the rehearsal.

“I’ve played clarinet all of my life, and it’s fun to have a band to play with,” he said.

New Horizons trumpeter George Francis, Lawrence, blasts away Friday during practice.

The band’s three percussionists said they all had picked up drums for the first time when they joined the band. Cymbal player Joann Wiley, of Lawrence, and base drummer Shirley Brown, of Lawrence, said they were impressed with the musical talent of others.

The band’s next rehearsal will be Jan. 6. Its next concert will be 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at Free State High School.

“It’s not a pressure position of any kind,” Towner said. “You just have fun.”