Week 13: Music – Music in Our House While Growing Up

This is my fourth year working on this year-long 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

There was always music playing on the radio. Mom liked listening to the current hits and as a very young child, when we still lived in Pittsburg, California, I remember my mother demonstrating how to do The Twist to my father. She said to “act like you’re putting out a cigarette with your toe while you’re drying off your bottom with a towel, twisting your arms back and forth.” We thought it was great fun trying it out.

Later, we moved to Walnut Creek, and our school program in fourth grade taught us to read music using black plastic song flutes they loaned out to us. I don’t remember the details except I wasn’t very good at it. But my brother, Jon and sister, Danna, must have because they both joined the band in 5^th grade with loaner instruments. Jon played the baritone all the way up to 8^th grade. Danna played the French horn, but I’m not sure how long—maybe a year or two. Jon was pretty musical and could play by ear. He had drums, too.

I attempted piano in the 8^th grade, taking lessons from a woman who taught at the piano store where we rented our upright. I only lasted a year. I remember hating to practice and fearing the wrath from the teacher. Looking back on it, I should have told my parents I wanted to try a different teacher—I might have fared better in the lessons.

Later in life, my mother’s taste in music changed to Country & Western and I thought it funny that many of the artists such as Kenny Rogers and John Denver that I heard on my pop station I listened to in my room would play on her station, too. She said it was more amazing those songs were playing on the pop station!

My parents purchased a stereo in the mid-60s and we finally could play records. My first album I ever received as a gift was Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass “Whipped Cream.” I remember fondly the Burl Ives Christmas album “The 12 Days of Christmas.” Dad bought her Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” and it was played by my mother until it wore out.

We had this wonderful fireplace hearth that became a stage to put on shows. We danced and lip-synced to many songs from the stereo. Our parents were so patient watching our shows.

Little sisters dancing on the "stage"

Over time we got our own stereos to play in our rooms. Hard rock music such as Jethro Tull usually blasted out the brother’s rooms, while the girls’ rooms played pop or show tune music. My sister, Danna and I would bring the stereo out to the kitchen to play show tune music while we washed dishes. We loved singing along to the songs, and to this day, we both are fond of musicals.

My own girls played instruments. I signed the three of us up for piano lessons. Elizabeth switched in 5^th grade to play the flute and she played through freshman year in high school. Margaret took lessons all the way through high school, but also played drums and percussion in the high school band. I lasted a few years with the piano but hated recitals—I would get so nervous. After retiring from work, I took a guitar class at the junior college and found a guitar teacher to take lessons from. We worked from the folk guitar, then classical guitar, and then to ukulele. Hopefully when we can have in-person lessons again, I’ll start back up.

Although I have enjoyed music in the background all my life, I have found lately, that I enjoy working in silence. I forget to put on music, though when I remember to, I do enjoy listening to my many LP albums, especially at Christmas. 

Copyright © 2021 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.