Music saved me from just being a lonely child. It really gave me a purpose. I mentioned in my last post that I would tell how music and the church saved me. This really did happen during my teen years at FBC Bellflower, but the story started much earlier.
First, let me present a little background. My mother was very musical. She was a trained singer and played the piano very well. After we settled in Bellflower, one of the early purchases was a piano. She always supplemented her income as a piano teacher. When we became a part of the church, she played piano for the church services. Dad wasn't particularly musical, but he did have a pleasant voice and sang in the church choir. Dad was tall -- over 6 feet. He played football in high school and became a semi-pro Heavy Weight boxer during the depression. I was short and squat and not particularly athletic. We spent a lot of time with my dad's cousin and his family. Oscar was short. His son who was a year older than me, was tall and looked like my dad. The big joke was that the babies had been switched at birth. Gene, the cousin basically my age was athletic. When we would get together it was not unusual for dad and Oscar to go out for a round of golf. They always took Gene with them. When I would ask to go I was told to stay home with the women. Obviously I wasn't saved by athletics, it was music that saved me.
When I was eight years old, my mom started to talk to me about learning to play a musical instrument. I thought this would be neat. I was told that I would probably get something for Christmas. "What kind of instrument do you want?"mom asked. "I want a trumpet!" I could see myself in a fancy uniform marching with a band and blowing on my trumpet. Finally Christmas arrived and I had my eye on a fairly long box -- it must be my trumpet. They saved that present to last. I could hardly wait to open it and there it was -- a violin! I was brave and didn't cry but the disappointment was overwhelming. Why did they do that to me? I found out later that part of the reason was that with WW II still on, metal instruments were very expensive.
Well, I got over my disappointment and found out that I actually learned to love the violin. I took lessons until I was 18 years old. My teacher was so disappointed that I planned to be a pre-med when I started college. This meant that I would stop taking violin lessons. She wanted me to be a violinist and major in music. I guess I was pretty good, but I was cocky and had made up my own mind that I was going to be a Medical Doctor. I think most 18 year old young people think they knew what was best for them. I certainly thought I did.
The other thing that happened that helped me in my decision to give up the violin was the discovery that I had a good voice and loved to sing. Incidentally singing bears a strong relationship to playing the violin in that they both are dependent upon hearing. A violin has no frets -- you have to hear it. Of course, you can't sing if you don't hear it. One of the reasons that a lot of singers are off key is that they just don't hear it. Well, I discovered that I could sing, liked to sing, people liked to hear me sing -- and singing is a lot easier than holding a violin under your chin.
Next post I will go back to FBC Bellflower because they had a wonderful music program and that is what really got me involved in the church and provided me with a social life.
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