Four years ago, Kelley's Heroes launched a series of Christmas ornaments. The first featured instrument was the valve trombone, the second was the bass drum, and the third was the snare drum. The fourth ornament celebrated our 25th anniversary and featured the sousaphone.

This year's featured instrument is the saxophone. Kelley's Heroes regularly marches with both alto and tenor saxes; on one special occasion, we even had a soprano sax (See Robert Pullyblank Memorial Service 2017). Typically, Steve, Margaret and Cindy play alto sax, and Jack and Maria play tenor sax.

Originally, saxophones were made in many sizes that played in many keys. Over time, some of the sizes and keys became more popular than others. Today, the most common saxophones are the Eb alto and the Bb tenor, followed by the Eb baritone and Bb soprano. Whatever the size or key, all saxophones read music in the treble clef and use the same fingerings.

Occasionally, a C melody sax is found at a flea market or garage sale. It is usually mistaken for a tenor sax, and the owner can't figure out why it plays so out of tune. However, the beauty of the C melody sax is that the performer can read his part right off the piano score.

The flat acrylic ornaments are 3" inches in diameter. For a suggested donation of $5, you can start your own collection of Kelley's Heroes ornaments.  If you would like this one or any of the ones from previous years, send us a message by clicking on Contact on the navigation bar at the top of this Web page.