POTSDAM -- John O’Reilly, Hannawa Falls and the greater Los Angeles area, recently visited the New Horizons Band of Northern New York to conduct a few of his compositions.

John has long been a friend of the local New Horizons Band, frequenting their concerts and joining them in the band room to work on some music.

To honor O’Reilly, and to thank him for his recent donation of some of his music, the band presented him with a music-themed quilt crafted by one of the band’s flute players, Jill Josephs.

The quilt was also signed by the band members.

O’Reilly, with co-author Mark Williams, wrote the Accent on Achievement band methods books, along with many compositions and arrangements correlated with the lessons in the method books.

Alfred Music recently published all of those compositions in a five-volume series of books, Accent on Performance, aimed at beginning and intermediate- level musicians.

The New Horizons Band of Northern New York is in its fifth year and consists of more than 40 area adults who have returned to playing music after many years or who are learning to play a band instrument for the very first time.

There are over 200 New Horizons Music groups around the world, involving nearly 10,000 adult musicians.

More information is available by contacting Ron Berry, director, at 265-2883.