Music and Family Field study

My Mother is who I chose for my interviewee because she has a lot of musical background and I felt like the interview would be really fun and exciting if I chose her- and it was! She gave me tons of insight into her musical background all from what instruments she plays to what her parents thought of her favorite music as a teenager!

Me: "What is your favorite genre or musical artist Mom?"

Mom: "My favorite genre is what is classified as "Easy Listening" or as Sirius Radio calls it, "Yacht Rock". Specifically, I like Easy Listening light rock from the 70's and early 80's. I don't like a lot of hard stuff."

Me: That's really interesting Mom! I know that we listen to it together in the car a lot, so I figured that was a favorite of yours. What sort of music had an influence on you when you were a kid, teenager and now?

Mom: "As a kid my biggest influence was church music. I was really involved in music from a young age. I sang in children's and youth choir, so my biggest influence was hymns as a child. As a teenager in the 80's, the "big-hair bands" were popular then, so I liked a lot of that rock music. Now that I'm older, I'm back to the quieter stuff. I still like church music, I'm not a big fan of Contemporary Christian music but I do like the older hymns and just easy listening.

Me: That's so fun, I love that. I like that you have a lot of variety in your music tastes and it's a wide range of genres! What's a song that helped you get through a tough time in your life? If you are comfortable with me asking you that.
Mom: Yes, of course. There's two actually. One is by one of my favorite Easy Listening artists-Barry Manilow. It's a song called "I Made It Through the Rain." It is what it sounds like haha. You've made it through tough times. The other song is "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns. I love the message of both of those songs.
Me: I love that song by Casting Crowns too, it is one of my favorites! I love the message in that song. What sort of music was played around your house when you were a kid?

Mom: Oh! Barry Manilow and The Carpenters. My Mom was a huge fan of The Carpenters, she was back then, and she still is now. Mostly stuff I like to listen to now. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, Mama Taylor. We listened to a lot of songs from the 40s and 50s. She had a big record player, and she had those big LPs. We would listen to that kind of music. Even from a young age I listened to older music and it made me appreciate it.

Me: Awe that's so special. I've always loved that you like older music but also that you don't like just one specific genre. I've heard you listen to stuff from 90's country all the way through a band like The Carpenters. You listening to a big variety of music has helped me appreciate it too. Speaking of musical family members, you come from a musical family, but could you go in detail about that?

Mom: "Yes, a very musical family. My mom has always been a church musician as long as I can remember. She plays the piano and the organ and sings in the choir. My dad played trumpet in high school and in church up until last fall. My brother played saxophone in the band in middle school. I don't know if you ever knew that hahaha. My sister plays the piano and sings. I started playing the piano when I was five. So yeah, my mom and I especially play a lot of piano and organ duets together. My mom and sister and I sing together in church whenever we can all get together. So yes, I do come from a very musical family."

Me: I did not know Uncle Scott played the saxophone. Our family is very musical. Like almost every single one of your family members is haha. (Mom laughs too) I love that. And then you have me, but I am musical too. Mom: You’re musical yes :)
Me: "What instrument to play is your favorite because I know you play quite a few.

Mom: I played handbells from the time I was in 4th grade. I play piano and organ obviously. I play the flute. My favorite is the piano though. I always said that it is like a duck in water. For me, sitting at the piano is as easy as sitting here breathing. It's always come so naturally to me so that's without a doubt my favorite.

Me: You have a very special gift and you're very good at what you do.
Mom: I thank a lot of my piano teachers for that, including the late Mrs. Lera Borden at Converse Pre-College and Dr. Weeks at Converse. I learned a lot from both of them!

Me: Oh yeah, I forgot you told me you had Dr. Weeks as a piano teacher whenever you came here to Converse. What instrument do you wish you knew how to play? Since you play quite a few.

Mom: That's easy, the cello. I would love to learn, and I think I probably could learn but from my experience when I taught piano, teaching adults is harder than teaching children. Because adults think about things very analytically, kids just do it because you tell them that's the way we do it. Adults want to know why things are done a certain way. I think I could probably learn how but I would have to put a lot of time and effort into it. One day I would love to try!

Me: I like it too; I think you could learn and be great at the cello. It sounds so pretty. Where you a part of anything else besides choir?
Mom: Yes, I joined band in 7th grade. I was in the marching band from 8th grade to 9th grade. I played the flute and the piccolo. Then I went to chorus in high school. I started accompanying the chorus when I was in 8th grade in Middle School. Then I play the piano in the Jazz Band. I was in chorus, but most of the time I was playing for them at the piano!  We had a girl's ensemble back then and I guess they still do but I played for them more than I sang haha. That was a long time ago! Mostly in high school and middle school I was in music stuff, I didn't do a lot of other activities.

Me: I did not know that so that was really interesting to learn. I find it really fun that you were able to accompany them singing but you were their same age. I think it shows how talented you are. I was in choir in middle school but never high school just for different reasons. My favorite part is the cummerbunds.

Me: This is a funny question, are cassette tapes as crappy as they seem? Mom: yes, they are! When they get warped, the sound is all messed up. You can look at the tape and a pencil and know the correlation between the two. When the sound gets messed up, you can use a pencil to twist the things together. Me: I think this probably shows my age but I'm pretty sure I don't know what one looks like.  Mom: I remember 8 track tapes, I had a player for them but yes, cassette tapes are bad.

Me: How did you participate in church? Mom: Children's choir, recorder choir, harpsicord groups, hand bells, youth choir. My Mom was the church pianist when I was a kid and a teenager so I would fill in for her when I was 13. I would fill in for her when she was out of town. If the organist was out, my Mom would play the organ and I would play the piano. So yeah, I was very involved in my childhood church when I was younger. Me: it seems like you were very involved, I love that! 13 seems so young to fill in during a church service, that's so cool! 

Me: Did Nana and Papa approve of the music you listened to? Mom: Some of it. It's kind of like how I am with you and Matthew, I kind of shake my head sometimes. Most of it, they liked because I've always liked older music. The big-hair bands they weren't always so jazzed about. 

Me: That's funny. One final question for you to answer. How do you feel music has evolved over your lifetime? Mom: It's always changing. Every generation thinks that there's is the best. I just happen to know mine is haha totally kidding. I think that technology has changed music in good and bad ways. If someone can't sing too well, there is always a computer to help that. In my opinion, when I was younger, people sounded the same on record and live when they sang and played instruments. Sometimes that isn't the case nowadays. But the quality in music is better too, that's a positive! I think it's always changing and growing. I'm not saying that there aren't artists nowadays that are not talented, because there are talented artists. I think every generation thinks that though.  Me: I think that is true, I think most people from every generation have said that about music of some genre at some point.   Mom:  For me, the 80's was the best decade of music and I'll take that to my grave haha.  

Me: well, I think that wraps it up. Thank you for being my interviewee Mom! I appreciated your answers and thoughtfulness, this was so fun! Mom: You're welcome! 

My Mom and I Christmas 2020