This may sound a bit odd, but it is a reality at the San Jose Wind Symphony. This 50-piece symphony, which includes Willow Glen residents Jeff Jones and Miriam Rowan, is composed of only amateur musicians—people who may spend their day in a cubicle and their nights playing their clarinets.

"It is definitely an interesting blend of people," Jones says.

He's played percussion in the San Jose Wind Symphony since 1979, because it has given him an opportunity to continue playing his beloved instrument and a nice break from his job in software marketing. He says the time commitment, especially for adults who are juggling family life with demanding jobs, can be hard to manage, but it is a balancing act that he couldn't imagine giving up.

He credits his family, including his wife, Kim, and sons Joshua and Noah, for supporting his time-consuming hobby.

"They know that Tuesday nights are sacred nights for me," he says.

The San Jose Wind Symphony plays at venues throughout the Bay Area, from Milpitas to Mountain View. And, for the past 10 years, it has also performed on the lawn in front of Los Gatos High School on the Fourth of July.

Along with Jones, the performance at Los Gatos High happens to be the annual show favored most by Rowan, a French horn player.

At 82 years old, Rowan is the oldest member of the symphony. She's been in the musical group for about 10 years. She discovered the symphony when she was taking chamber music courses at San José City College. At that time, the symphony was connected to the college. Now, the San Jose Wind Symphony is in its fifth year as an independent nonprofit organization, after separating from the community college system due to budget cuts in August 1993.

Rowan has been playing the French horn since college. She earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Washington. But she took a musical hiatus after college and didn't really pursue it again until after she turned 50. To reward her renewed interest in the French horn, her husband bought her a new double horn in the key of F.

She plans to play in the symphony as long as "she can produce excellent sound," because she says the symphony's level of play is quite advanced.

According to Rowan, the mission of the San Jose Wind Symphony is threefold: to present concerts in a variety of settings and venues; to provide opportunities for members' individual musical expression and growth; and to assist in the public's music education through concerts, clinics, scholarships and festivals.

The symphony is entirely self-supporting, through dues, ticket sales, grants, and individual and corporate donations.

San Jose Wind Symphony business manager and piccolo musician Jan Turnage says the participation of Jones, a section leader, and Rowan has been valuable to the group.

"Jeff is the glue of the percussion section, and he often is asked to say an introduction before we perform," Turnage says. "My favorite Miriam memory was when the symphony was touring Switzerland—Miriam was over 70 and still helping people climb up a mountain."

For more information about the San Jose Wind Symphony, visit http://www.sjws.org/.