I do like music, sort of

Music has always been a part of my life. This was true when I was a child and it is true as an adult. My kids may not agree with that statement because I don’t listen to FM radio, I rarely put music on if I’m home and if I’m studying I must have silence. My kids on the other hand have to have the radio blaring noise all day long and they often leave their stereo’s on at night while they’re sleeping. Even though I don’t listen to a lot of music I really do appreciate a pretty song. The problem is that I have a very narrow definition of what “pretty” is.

One of the first things mom did when we moved into town was to sign me up for piano lessons. I didn’t really mind playing the piano but I hated practicing. It probably went hand in hand with my never doing homework. I first took piano lessons from Mr Webster. I thought he had the coolest piano. It has a grand piano with a mirror along the front of the keyboard. I loved it. I forget Mr Websters name but he was Maurine and Orvy’s dad. He tragically died during a routine surgery (I understand he drowned on his own vomit) so I switched to a woman who lived on the east side of town on the top of the hill. What was her name? I can’t remember. I guess I was real bad luck because her house burned to the ground. For a while there they lived in a motel and I was taking piano lessons in their motel room. Finally half way through my second grade level of piano (which I’m quite sure took a lot longer than two years) Mom gave into my tantrums and lack of practice and I was allowed to quit piano.She didn’t let it go at that however and she pulled out this big old Alto Saxophone that she got from somewhere. I wonder who has the Sax today? She then signed me up with a kid who I think was named Merlin Hall to take Saxophone lessons from him. I’m not sure if I fought mom on that so she switched me again or if I just wasn’t progressing but in grade 7 band I started on the trombone. I loved the trombone (but I’m quite sure I still didn’t practice) but the band really needed a baritone player. Since I didn’t own my own instrument and I was using the school instrument I was the one who got switched. Mr Cahoon was the band director in seventh grade and I did pretty good. I remember at the first of the year they had us all blow into a mouthpiece to see how we did. My big fat lips just couldn’t make any sound out of that little tiny mouth piece for the trumpet so that was out. I did just fine with the big old mouthpiece for the tuba, trombone and baritone however so that is how I ended up on the trombone. I don’t remember why I didn’t play the saxophone though. The band director for my second year was Mr Hunter. Yes that would be Pam and Christine’s dad. Mr Hunter was a very scary man. He was tall, very muscular, he had a military buzcut and when he spoke you listened. He also started up a marching band that I joined. We practiced every morning at some very unearthly hour in the middle of the night. We combined with the Magrath band and we were called the Magrath-Cardston Marching band. We had a big MC on our uniform just like Mt Carmel. Ironic eh? I think Magrath got their name first because they had more members than we did even though Cardston was a much bigger town. We alternated our practices between Cardston and Magrath and we were very good. We played at half times for CFL football games, we played at many competitions and in many parades. When other bands just marched we did fancy moves as we marched down the streets. We didn’t do big field shows like the bands down here do however. I don’t know why, no one did. I really liked our drum line. When we marched we had such a loud and unique sounding cadence that other bands practicing would get confused. We were so good that we were even invited to march in the Rose Parade. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the money to go. I remember in one of our band practices (in school not marching) Wayne Wheeler was on the drums. Wayne was obviously had some form of aspergers long before that was understood and diagnosed. We used to tease Wayne and make him cry because he would get one question wrong on a test. He was very smart but very immature socially. Wayne was fooling around in band practice one day and Mr Hunter finally told him to leave the class. Wayne was almost crying and he got very serious but he would not go. Mr Hunter would never accept that kind of defiance so he stormed to the back of the band room and picked Wayne up (Wayne was not a skinny boy) and he hauled Wayne to the door with him kicking and screaming (yes, literally screaming) all the way. Mr Hunter opened the door and threw Wayne into the hallway. It was a VERY quiet room after that. I really wanted to continue band into High School but I had a decision to make. If I took band then I would be very limited on what other electives I could take. Basically I had to choose between Band and Automechanics, graphic arts (drafting) and woodshop. It wasn’t much of a decision, Band was out.

I remember when we got our first stereo. Lester and I were the only kids home and Dad finally decided to buy a new stereo. Lester had made a beautiful new wooden cabinet in woodshop and Dad let us pick out the stereo to put in it. We picked out the receiver, the speakers, the turntable and tape deck and wired it all together and we even got to buy the first record we played on it. We had bought a copy of Simon and Garfunkels “Sounds of Silence”. I still remember how thrilling it was to hear such a pretty song in Hi-Fidelity for the first time. It was a thrill. Every time I hear that song now I still see us in the living room after putting together our stereo. The look on Dad’s face was a combination of pride and surprise. He was clearly pleased. Just a few years ago Kira told me that she has figured out the kind of music that I like. I like songs with a very pretty and soft melody with a clearly defined beat in the background. She is absolutely right. Below are a few of my favorite songs.

Dreams - Cranberries
I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
its all coming back to me - Meat Loaf
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
Popcorn - Hot Butter
Fernando - ABBA
Chiquitita - ABBA
Don't Cry for me Argentina - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Every Time we Touch - Cascada
Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James
St Elmos fire - David Foster
99 red balloons - Nina
sandstorm - derude
chasing cars - snow patrol
I need a hero - shrek
beth - Kiss
Shannon - Henry Gross
The Power of Love - Celine Dione

Lisa and I have chosen to follow in the footsteps of my mother just like she apparently followed after her mother. Each of our kids were started in piano and in fifth grade each of the kids are “strongly encouraged” to start on an instrument. Kira started on the clarinet but in middle school when they asked for volunteers to switch to Oboe we had her at the head of the line. I would never have known what an Oboe was but Pam Hunter played Oboe in our band and I loved the instrument. I used to blow her double reeds and I thought it was the coolest thing. Kira took to the oboe like a duck to water (pun intended). She has been first chair for most of her life and it has really bugged a lot of people to have a freshman as first chair in the upper level bands. Kira went through BYU and the University of Florida on scholarships and she now has a masters degree in Oboe Performance. Brandon played violin and even though it wasn’t his chosen direction he has always loved to play it. He bought an old violin in Mexico on his mission and played in church’s, jails and in people’s homes. They loved him. Brandon figures he could have become famous if he had stayed in Mexico. Ben played trumpet but when he got to high school had to make a choice similar to mine. Trumpet or Football. Football won out. Alycia played the flute. She also dropped out in High School but more out of a lack of interest than due to any conflict. Alex played the saxophone. He started on Tenor Sax and switched to Alto Sax. He was good but he also died out due to a lack of interest. He was quite happy that High School sports required him to drop band. Sarah started out on the Clarinet and she too chose not to carry on.We have a tradition in our family to go caroling to our neighbors during Christmas time. I remember one year we had all of the kids on their instruments and the Leavitt family band played Christmas carols. I think Lisa and I were the only ones singing because the rest were on instruments.