Recently I had an epiphany about music. I have always felt very inadequate musically because I am not talented in that area. It has been difficult here in our new ward as some of our new friends have asked me repeatedly to sing in the choir and I have refused politely that I cannot sing well enough to be in the choir. I felt that I had let them down by not being able to sing well enough to contribute in the choir until I had my epiphany—because of me there are four of my children singing in ward choirs in other wards. I should not feel I had not contributed musically to choirs; I had contributed to not one--but four--choirs that day simply by developing the musical talents of my children.
Okay, okay. That is a stretch—but I felt better thinking that, than feeling guilty because I can’t sing. I have consciously developed the musical talents of my children, and that is important. Last fall I received a link to a website where you could test your ear for music by listening and clicking whether the music played was on tune or not. I forwarded the test to all my children, and every one of them, including Marc, who is the least musically talented of my children, got 100% on the test. They had chosen which renditions were on tune and which were not correctly every time. I didn’t get 100% but that is not surprising because I have a difficult time telling whether something is on tune or not; this is something my children knew and took advantage of often. When I sat with them to make sure they practiced the piano or trumpet, I couldn’t tell if they hit the wrong note until I’d see them glance at me as if to say, “Did Mom notice that flat note?” Then I’d say, “Do it again until you get it right!” But I did sit with them and make sure they practiced their lessons until they got so good they did it on their own.
Nevertheless, music was always a big part of our lives. Ed and I have always loved musical theater and I remember attending the Capital Theater in Salt Lake City to see The Sound of Music in the early 1960s. I played musical theater sound tracks at home all the time. I played loud, fast songs while we cleaned the house to invigorate us, lilting music to wake us up and soft romantic songs to put them to sleep. It is no surprise that ALL of my children are performers, (and most of them do musical theater)—that is all they grew up with.
My favorite song was “Che sera, sera” ("Whatever will be, will be"), which I remember singing to children that I babysat as a teenager, and “High Hopes” about a happy ant, but those and many others I sang to my children. Even though I lived through Elvis’ heyday, I didn’t like his rock songs, although his slower songs were okay. I loved the Beatles, though, and the Smother’s Brothers. Ed and the family went through a country western stage when we lived in Texas and all of the kids knew every Johnny Cash song. We were very democratic and what one of us sang, we all sang--all of the time. I even remember in Hawaii we were hooked on a Hawaii radio station with a DJ called “Myna Bird!”
Even though I couldn’t play the piano, I insisted that every one of my children take piano or trumpet lessons. It began when Marlowe was about eight or nine and had very bad asthma. The doctor suggested playing a trumpet might help his breathing, so we got him a trumpet.
I remembered how my mother insisted that each of us children have the opportunity to take either piano lessons or dance lessons when we were growing up. There was no extra money to pay for them, so she painted landscapes to barter for lessons. I took ballet and tap lessons for years; then I had a problem with my foot as a teen and that was the end of my dancing. My sister Coleen took piano lessons and that blessed her life for years. After Mother became ill and died, I don’t know if the younger children were able to take lessons, but it was Mother’s insistence that we all had talents that we needed to develop, and she would do all possible to get us lessons that made me determined to see that my children receive music lessons themselves. (My daughters took dance and gymnastic lessons, too, but I felt piano and music lessons were far more important).
Marlowe was very talented and by the time he was in high school he was in the marching band and the jazz band. Both Athena and Diana both played the piano well. Marc took piano and trumpet lessons, but they never took with him (I think he is related to me). Bryan took piano, voice, trumpet lessons, and was in the band in Junior High.
When Diana was a baby, I realized that something happened whenever music played—she would calm down and “listen” to it. I even wrote a story about what a musical baby she was, and that “maybe” she had sung with the angelic choir at Christ’s birth. Then I forgot all about her interest in music. In Junior High School, she tried out for the elite madrigal singing group, and wanted to take voice lessons. We discovered she had a very special talent in singing. She developed that talent and won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and performed in many community and professional musical theater productions. Although she doesn't perform professionally now, she shares her talents in many other ways.
Marlowe also made a hobby/career of performing in community and musical theater productions in the Salt Lake Valley; Athena performed a lot at Rodgers Memorial Theater. Even though Bryan was nearly 20 years younger than his older siblings were, they taught him to perform with them and he, too, became a musical theater pro. All of the children, including Marc performed in Community Theater in Italy and in Utah.
Okay, okay. That is a stretch—but I felt better thinking that, than feeling guilty because I can’t sing. I have consciously developed the musical talents of my children, and that is important. Last fall I received a link to a website where you could test your ear for music by listening and clicking whether the music played was on tune or not. I forwarded the test to all my children, and every one of them, including Marc, who is the least musically talented of my children, got 100% on the test. They had chosen which renditions were on tune and which were not correctly every time. I didn’t get 100% but that is not surprising because I have a difficult time telling whether something is on tune or not; this is something my children knew and took advantage of often. When I sat with them to make sure they practiced the piano or trumpet, I couldn’t tell if they hit the wrong note until I’d see them glance at me as if to say, “Did Mom notice that flat note?” Then I’d say, “Do it again until you get it right!” But I did sit with them and make sure they practiced their lessons until they got so good they did it on their own.
Nevertheless, music was always a big part of our lives. Ed and I have always loved musical theater and I remember attending the Capital Theater in Salt Lake City to see The Sound of Music in the early 1960s. I played musical theater sound tracks at home all the time. I played loud, fast songs while we cleaned the house to invigorate us, lilting music to wake us up and soft romantic songs to put them to sleep. It is no surprise that ALL of my children are performers, (and most of them do musical theater)—that is all they grew up with.My favorite song was “Che sera, sera” ("Whatever will be, will be"), which I remember singing to children that I babysat as a teenager, and “High Hopes” about a happy ant, but those and many others I sang to my children. Even though I lived through Elvis’ heyday, I didn’t like his rock songs, although his slower songs were okay. I loved the Beatles, though, and the Smother’s Brothers. Ed and the family went through a country western stage when we lived in Texas and all of the kids knew every Johnny Cash song. We were very democratic and what one of us sang, we all sang--all of the time. I even remember in Hawaii we were hooked on a Hawaii radio station with a DJ called “Myna Bird!”
Even though I couldn’t play the piano, I insisted that every one of my children take piano or trumpet lessons. It began when Marlowe was about eight or nine and had very bad asthma. The doctor suggested playing a trumpet might help his breathing, so we got him a trumpet.
I remembered how my mother insisted that each of us children have the opportunity to take either piano lessons or dance lessons when we were growing up. There was no extra money to pay for them, so she painted landscapes to barter for lessons. I took ballet and tap lessons for years; then I had a problem with my foot as a teen and that was the end of my dancing. My sister Coleen took piano lessons and that blessed her life for years. After Mother became ill and died, I don’t know if the younger children were able to take lessons, but it was Mother’s insistence that we all had talents that we needed to develop, and she would do all possible to get us lessons that made me determined to see that my children receive music lessons themselves. (My daughters took dance and gymnastic lessons, too, but I felt piano and music lessons were far more important).
Marlowe was very talented and by the time he was in high school he was in the marching band and the jazz band. Both Athena and Diana both played the piano well. Marc took piano and trumpet lessons, but they never took with him (I think he is related to me). Bryan took piano, voice, trumpet lessons, and was in the band in Junior High.When Diana was a baby, I realized that something happened whenever music played—she would calm down and “listen” to it. I even wrote a story about what a musical baby she was, and that “maybe” she had sung with the angelic choir at Christ’s birth. Then I forgot all about her interest in music. In Junior High School, she tried out for the elite madrigal singing group, and wanted to take voice lessons. We discovered she had a very special talent in singing. She developed that talent and won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and performed in many community and professional musical theater productions. Although she doesn't perform professionally now, she shares her talents in many other ways.
Marlowe also made a hobby/career of performing in community and musical theater productions in the Salt Lake Valley; Athena performed a lot at Rodgers Memorial Theater. Even though Bryan was nearly 20 years younger than his older siblings were, they taught him to perform with them and he, too, became a musical theater pro. All of the children, including Marc performed in Community Theater in Italy and in Utah.
Athena has shared her piano playing with her family, in the primary, and in many other ways. She has performed at Rodgers Memorial Theater and even met her husband there. She has always been so faithful in singing in the ward choir, and encouraging her children to develop their musical talents.
Bryan became especially talented in comedy and improvisation, and has been (and is) performing professionally at Desert Star Theater in Murray, Utah. He has a beautiful voice, and gift for mimicry. Suddenly I have my own musical theater troupe!
Music is important to me. It is one of the means by which I find peace, and joy. It is something I share with my family, even if I can’t sing on tune, or play an instrument. I love the music my family is gifted with. I love to hear them sing, and to see them perform. So, even though I won’t be singing in the ward choir this Sunday, in four other wards, my children will be singing my song for me.
Music is important to me. It is one of the means by which I find peace, and joy. It is something I share with my family, even if I can’t sing on tune, or play an instrument. I love the music my family is gifted with. I love to hear them sing, and to see them perform. So, even though I won’t be singing in the ward choir this Sunday, in four other wards, my children will be singing my song for me.
All that I can say is, nice article. But "poor least of all musically talented Marc". Tell Marc that he needs to sing in the choir and make his mother feel really good about herself! just kidding
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