All In the Family - A Keyboard Legacy

I grew up in a musical family. Among parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, there was a nice variety of talent to be found - singing, piano, organ, stringed instruments, and so on. One of my earliest memories is at 4 or 5 years old, playing "Chopsticks" on the piano with Dad. Especially with the piano, it was a multi-generational gift.


Grandma W. played the piano for Sunday School for years and years and years, until she just couldn't do it anymore. After that, Mom and I took over for several years. Here is Grandma in Sunday School class.



Mom's Sister, Aunt C, also plays the piano very well. In her later years after she and my uncle have retired, she has kept very busy playing in church for services and programs.



Back to my home church, Dad's sister, Aunt F, played the organ for years and years and years, until she couldn't do that anymore. She had a nice way of playing that was missed when she stopped. I tried to fill in once in awhile, didn't do TOO bad, I guess. But playing an organ is very different from playing piano. The touch is different, you have a volume pedal, and you have the pedals for bass notes. Plus having TWO manuals, and lots of stops you can use for different sounds. Kind of fun, actually, but I sure preferred piano!


Aunt F, and her playing the organ at church.






Dad played by ear, doing what he called "chording." Bass notes in the left hand, simple chords in the right. He'd sing and play at the piano. I can still "hear" him in my head. He said once he even got asked to play at school a time or two (for singing at an assembly, I think). I can also still imagine playing the "Chopsticks" with him - we were a good piano duo!



Mom was classically trained, and started lessons at 5 years old. As she got older, she would play recital pieces in school programs or recitals. She said when she was younger, she could learn more how to play a piece by hearing it than by reading the music. But of course she could read music. (Dad couldn't read a note! All his singing and playing was by ear.) She had no trouble memorizing pieces at all. Then ... disaster struck. Around 16 years old (something like that), she suffered a ruptured appendix, and nearly died on the operating table. She said her heart stopped beating for 9 minutes, until they gave her a shot and revived her. She said after that, she couldn't memorize pieces anymore. Here's Mom at 16, around the time of her appendix disaster.



But, she still played. I remember her playing bits at home of things like a Chopin Polonaise, or Sinding's "Rustle of Spring." And she played for church for a long, long time. Mostly church services, but also church choir accompanying, and a couple of church choir cantatas. Here's Mom, and a picture of her playing piano at church.






And even in later years, she knew when she needed to apply herself a little more to a tricky passage! I still have her piano books for hymn and church arrangements, and wouldn't trade them for anything. I've enjoyed using them in church myself for the last several years. Here, you can see where she wrote "practice" in pencil at a critical point in the music! We all need reminders now and then.



I started lessons in 1st grade, studying piano for about 4 years with a couple of teachers in my small town. Even though I had fun playing the music, I was a timid pianist, and anytime a "recital" was mentioned, I was a WRECK inside! But somehow, I survived. My first recital piece was "Penguins at Play," and I still have the music!


Then in 5th grade, since I was going into band, Mom let me drop the piano lessons. But I still played around some on the piano, nothing really serious. I accompanied an easy vocal or instrumental solo or two in jr. high, I think. In high school, I did a bit of keyboard playing in the jazz band.


Then ... disaster struck. (At least in my mind at the time!) Due to my nit-pickiness of some music things during chorus, our high school chorus teacher "convinced" me to take a piano solo to contest my senior year. So ... I did. Even though I dreaded it! I went home and picked a piece, then practiced and practiced. The first time I played my piece in front of the choir (for a kind of dress-rehearsal), I could feel my face turning 50 shades of red from nervousness! But for the contests, I did OK, I think I got "II's" at both of them.


After graduating from high school, I studied Horse Science for two years. Disgruntled before that was over, I got my sights set on transferring, and studying music. Once again, I had to get some music picked out at the last minute, and practice, practice, practice! I think I had one or two months at the most before I had to audition. I played Brahms and Beethoven, and though I about passed out from terror, I survived the audition and was accepted at school. I was going to be a teacher, but ended up just going with piano performance. I'm not a teacher (though I've done it), but LOVE playing. To graduate, we had "Senior Boards." One part was to meet with three of the music faculty members and answer various questions. THAT was an experience, let me tell you. The other part was our Senior Recital. I played Brahms, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy and Khachaturian. Mom had a blast with providing the reception afterwards - a piano cake, cookies, and a delicious lime punch that several couldn't get enough of. The funny part - she accidentally left the sugar-syrup part at home in the refrigerator! (Three hours away.) And it was STILL good punch. This is me after the recital, holding my "piano cake" in front of the student union where the reception was held.



I want to say here, that the opportunity to study piano where I did with whom I did, was a chance of a lifetime for a small-town, "average-playing" girl. The level I was at upon graduation, most piano students were at when they STARTED college. I was kind of lacking in training and experience and repertoire. But my teacher was awesome, and really helped bring the music out and establish good technique. I'm going to brag - he's played around the world, including at Carnegie Hall. His "teacher lineage" (who taught him, and who taught them, and so on, 'way back) is incredible. He started playing concerti with orchestras at 14. What was I doing at 14 (or maybe it was 15 ...)? Riding my horse! Heh. So considering his vast experience and talent, I consider it to have been a really great opportunity to have studied under him.


A couple of months after my Senior Recital at college, I gave the same recital in July in my hometown church, with a little Tcherepnin added to the program. Here, I'm welcoming everyone before I sit down to play the recital.




Afterwards - I survived again!




Here is Mom, me and Dad at the reception table in the annex.




Visiting with a couple of friends who enjoy music.




Visiting with a young pianist friend. That's my beloved cousin in the background, I miss her so much.



After those two recitals and graduation (I had to go one more semester, and graduated mid-year), I just enjoyed playing for church, playing at home, and, if relatives asked me to, at Grandma's birthday party. (ha ha) At one point, a church in town had dire need of an organist, so I played a REAL PIPE ORGAN there for their services for two years. That was very interesting, and I enjoyed it!


Me playing at Aunt C and Uncle R's house, when we had a birthday party for Grandma W.



After marriage, various things kind of took me out of the music scene for a long time, though I had a rare chance here and there to play. I did give a low-key recital in December one year, which went OK. Eventually, my folks passed away, and we ended up moving from my hometown, which included selling the piano. Then, at one point after we had moved to Oklahoma, I was able to get a keyboard. It felt good to play again, because music is a gift and a joy, and I also think God gave this to me as a THERAPY in my life. And it's STILL a joy and a therapy. Now, I've been able to get back into enjoying playing at home and for church. Though my nerves and confidence continue to be a challenge, God helps me get better even as I get older. Like a fine wine. (ha ha) Both boys have enjoyed playing around on the keyboard as well, so they have a little bit of a foundation for it. Here I am at my digital piano, which I enjoy a LOT. I have fun with the different sounds, and it has a "recording" funtion so I can play duets with myself!



And you never know what the "future generation" might pick up as far as musical ability goes! A friend gave us her electronic organ, and we've been having fun with that as well. Here's Younger Son having fun playing it. Play on!!!