I grew up in a very musical family. We literally went caroling as a family singing in five part harmony every year. We practiced our musical instruments when camping all summer in upper state New York. I could go on but suspect you get the idea. I have sooooo many holiday memories revolving around playing at various holiday events. I’ll post one of my favorite holiday songs here. What are some of your favorite holiday songs?
Jayhawker
I love holy night and my fav is Mary did you know
youtu.be/O_pae1ZfxWw?si=hkj...
Link is working
I love Mary Dud You Know too!
In my early years, Music was everything. I read music before I read words. I sang in chorus and church choir. I played first chair trumpet (with braces) In College, I sang with the Jazz band and a Madrigal group. I also had our own folk group called Synapse. I played recorders and guitar. The I got married and things changed. When I retired, I made it a point to go back to my roots and joined the senior chorus here. NOw my husband has joined. We sing for nursing homes twice a year doing about 20 performances a year.
I love all music. My favorites, and I have many, Christmas songs are "Oh Holy Night and What Child is This?
I, too, played in a recorder group for madrigal holiday events in college. I played in clarinet choir, orchestra, percussion ensemble, and various other small ensembles in college. My major was music but instrumental rather than vocal. Clarinet. I also played flute, bassoon and oboe. Of course I could play saxophone easily but just didn’t enjoy that instrument as much.
My brother is a professional jazz trombone player. He also composes and arranges jazz pieces. My father played trumpet. He was a band director for high school students. My mother played piano. My sister played clarinet but could also play brass instruments well. So my entire family was very musical.
I still remember one of our summers camping in upper state New York. We were camping close to a lake in the Lake Placid area. I was heading to the restroom/shower area as was my father. My brother had started practicing his trombone. The sound was traveling across the lake. As my dad and I walked we passed by several other campers. One family sounded as though they were from NYC based upon their accents. The woman was shouting at her husband that there was a moose. She was clearly frightened. She kept shouting at him that she could hear the moose. What she heard was my brother practicing his trombone. Dad and I just started laughing. I had soooo much fun teasing my brother about that incident!!!
Below is another holiday music video I love. It kind of puts the medical issues I face in perspective. The little ones in this video are battling various medical conditions including cancer
Jayhawker
youtu.be/8EaAmXwituc?si=qcg...
that was lovely and sad. there are so many in need of strength and love. My brother also was musical, not quite as much as me. We went to a very progressive elementary school. He started on clarinet and went to Bassoon. MY poor parents with our practive sessions at home. There was a time when I thought either opera or musical theater would be my career. But then, when I got up to the Rochester area and was facing kids who went to Eastman early on.... well I decided I would prefer backstage work instead. But I did a lot of musicals. Music is such joy and I hope to be able to make time to get back to the recorders. I was playing for a while with the Rochester Recorder Society, but they played very high brow music and so so serious. It was not fun. So I quite five years ago. The Senior chorus is easy going and we have made great friends.
My dad went to Ithaca for his music degrees. We camped in state parks throughout that area when Dad was back working on his master’’s degree.
But there were other musical people in my extended family. One of my uncles played bassoon with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra where he met my aunt who was an oboist. He made a floor lamp out of his first bassoon. That was quite the conversation starter!
My brother played in the Air Force band ultimately playing in the Air Force band stationed in Washington DC for a variety of presidential events. Also he directed and arranged various pieces that group played. One of the pieces he arranged that would be more commonly known was to create the piece played at the memorial for the Challenger astronauts. He also directed that band at the memorial service. As he worked on the arrangement for the memorial service, he called and asked whether teachers would be insulted if he included “When I Wish Upon a Star” to honor Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died aboard the Challenger. Of course I thought that would be a great way to honor and remember her and her commitment to science education.
Well, it’s fun to remember all of this…
I love music and was decent but was only average in my family🙂
Jayhawker
Love this...Always been one of my Favorites...Also love Hallelujah by Penetonix
I wonder as I wander. by Audrey Assad
And also, Another one of my favorite is: O, Holy Night.
youtu.be/g4fvMgNfN0I?si=7i0...
oh your killing me!
Hey...thankyou for the Concert...Enjoying while having my morning coffee...Merry Christmas Jayhawker..
Oh my goodness that wa beautiful! It touched me deeply and made me cry. Your family is very talented! I usually listen to pop such as Mariah Carey, Kathrine McPhee, Elvis, etc. I rarely listen to instrumentals, but they are the most moving. Thank you for sharing! Merry Christmas!
And the lovely father-daughter pair....youtu.be/iIiqxyIuMJk?si=rIr...
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