I grew up listening to music. My Mom had an extensive album collection and then added a cassette collection when those got popular. She played whatever music suited her mood on a given day. I am one of 5 kids, and we are all musical, with varying tastes. One brother played ELO, Queen and Kiss while my other brother played the Cars, Steve Miller Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. My sisters played Toto, Michael Jackson and A-ha. I mean, between the 5 of us kids, we liked ALOT of different kinds of music. Then my Mom’s music, which was Elvis Presley and my Dad’s love of Big Band music. On a typical day you could hear a little Jailhouse Rock, Fly Like an Eagle, Bohemian Rhapsody or Fly Me to the Moon! Never a quiet moment!
I remember LOVING general music class in elementary school. My music teacher would set up instruments and I was THRILLED to get the opportunity to try them in class. I loved the percussion instruments and I loved when she would play cool recordings for the class. Remember that disco version of Beethoven’s 5th? I just looked it up – it came out in 1976. I was 10 years old. My music teacher played it in my general music class in elementary school and I was dumbfounded. WHAT was THIS? Disco? And it was based on WHAT? Classical music? I wanted to know more!
(They actually used this song in the movie, “Saturday Night Fever.” EVERYTHING was disco back in the mid-70s!)
I decided to play flute in 5th grade (all of us kids picked up an instrument. My brothers played trumpet and sax, although one of my brothers really wanted to learn how to play the DRUMS. Now THAT would’ve been loud! My sisters played clarinet and baritone horn. We were our own band. LOL )
I remember the first day of learning how to play the flute – we held onto the flute mouthpiece and blew over the hole to try to make a sound without passing out. Isn’t it funny how some of the details of your past are SO vivid? I wonder why that is.
I went on to play flute in the school band all thru middle school and high school, even becoming a drum major my senior year for the marching band. At the same time I sang in the choirs, enjoying small group ensembles, solo performances as I learned how to match vowels, pitches, read music and become part of a musical team. I enjoyed so much of those formative years. I knew early in high school that I wanted to become a music teacher. The music history and theory behind all of the performing aspects of music itself came naturally to me and I fell in love with music in all it’s forms.
And yes, I became a music teacher! And of course there is more to THAT story… 😉
