Music and Family

    I sat down at the dining room table with my mother to discuss her life experience with music. Knowing that she was not a musician, I was eager to see her perspective on the music she grew up with. I decided to start things simple by asking her what her first memory of music was, and so it began;

    She explained to me that her first recollection of music came from when she was a very young child. Every night, her mother (my grandmother) would sing to her before bed. However, these were not your typical lullabies. She said that my grandmother would sing songs by people like John Denver and groups like the Animals. She specifically remembered House Of The Rising Sun being a common choice as the lullaby. Strange choice, but this was in fact the music she grew up hearing. All the music my grandparents liked to listen to was what my mother had to listen to. Because of this, she was of course very familiar with John Denver, Bob Seger, and Fleetwood Mac.

    She also shared a story that really forced me to pay attention. Another early memory she had also came from my grandmother. Back when my mom was very young, my grandmother would sing and record with several musicians in the area, and not being able to find a babysitter, my mother had to go with her to the studio. There was one particular time that my mother said she was in a studio laying underneath a grand piano while the pianist accompanied my grandmother. It was one of her prominent musical memories as a child. Now as I said earlier, my mother was never really a musician, but she did sing. She told me of her first performance in 4th grade when she sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow at a talent show and actually got first place! It motivated her to continue singing, and as she grew older she began singing at church and even directed the kids choir. However, as she grew into her teen/young adult years, she grew fond of a lot more music. 

    I wanted to get straight to the punch, so I asked her who her favorite artists were. She was feeling nostalgic when explaining how much she loved listening to Bruce Hornsby and Lionel Richie. She recalled listening to old records and later on cassettes of Bruce Hornsby's Mandolin Rain, which she claims might be her favorite song. One of the few concerts she attended was actually a joint concert of Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs. After working together on an album that incorporated bluegrass into Bruce's songs, they went on tour and my mother and father attended one of the concerts.   

    During the 80's she of course also listened to a lot of Michael Jackson and actually went to a lot of dances where she was introduced to music from that same era. Though she did of course like that music and still does to this day, she said she still always puts Bruce and Lionel at the top. This led me into asking about how she actually felt about music now and if she has grown fond of anything since those times. She explained that even though she does appreciate some of the newer music from today, her first choice will still be what she grew up on. 

    When I asked her if there was any other music that was specifically important to her, she stated that one of the most important roles music has played in her life has been through religious music. From when she was a child to now, she has always sung hymns, and even though music from people like Lionel Richie can really set a mood, it doesn't compare to the effect a song of praise can have on a person. She said religious music was there when she was a child, it was there she got married, and it will be there when she goes to be with the Lord. To her, it's music that doesn't serve the purpose of glorifying us, but glorifying God. Knowing this, I wanted to know what music was used in her wedding. She told me that the piece they used was Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Bach. It was her hope that one day one of her children would play it for her. 

    I was curious to know more about her actual relationship with music, and to my surprise, she told me she actually did take piano lessons for a couple months when she was a child. It ended up not really working out and she stopped not too long after starting, but she says that it was one of her biggest regrets. As a homeschooling mother, she explained to me that she believes the four most important parts of education is math, literature, history, and music. She regrets not keeping up with music in the way she kept up with other subjects. I was told that the reason she encouraged me and my brother so much in our music was because it was something she wishes she had been encouraged to continue with too. To her, music is an essential part of life that helps us practice discipline and patience. I was able to understand why she saw it as such a necessity.

    After a pretty lengthy conversation, she had about summed up her entire story. It was a joy to see how thrilled she was to discuss a topic like this. It may not seem like a very deep topic, but to people like my mother, it's important to bring attention to. I was thankful for her being so willing to discuss it with me, and it got me excited to start the writing. Now I just need to learn that Bach piece!