I spent a couple of hours this weekend playing string quartets with a group of people who get together every week just to have fun with music. These long-time friends have been meeting regularly for several years, ever since a child’s wedding surfaced a sudden need for a string quartet to play.
One of the regular first violins was away on vacation, so I sat in to fill the spot, sight-reading all along the way. (Mozart at first glance – now THAT’s a mental workout!).
Some members of the group play with community orchestras; others volunteer in elementary schools; some admit to being “past their prime” and no longer able to keep up with the demands of orchestra playing.
But for all of them, the focus of the Saturday sessions is to have fun with no pressure. No angst to perform perfectly. Lots of time to joke and laugh and just enjoy each other’s company and the music.
It’s what recreational music making is all about: not perfect, just pure enjoyment.
We need more of it in our communities!
Midlife Musicians 
I just discovered this corner. Beautifully stated. I play with a Tuesday afternoon group in Royal Oak and a huge crowd of friends that gather on New Years Day for an open house in the city, and another, an annual gathering just to play a pick up with friends, where we enjoy food, company, and lots of notes. Chamber music lives in Detroit behind closed doors.