Learning music

When I was young, I played the piano.  I got most of my lessons from my sister Moira.  I did the Leila Fletcher and John Thompson and Michael Aaron series of piano books for learners.  I also went through some books of study pieces titled Technic Is Fun. (Wishful thinking.)  I got up to the seventh or eighth grade before my priorities changed. We had a book of piano pieces based on Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite, and I recall that I played the Arab Dance very well.  Another piece I did well was "The Policeman," from Healey Willan's Character Sketches of Old London.

For a while I tried to play saxophone in the school band, but the music teacher had it in for me.  I missed two practices for reasons that were out of my control, and he took to saying in front of the whole band, "So, Mr. Matthews, you decided to come today!" After one rehearsal where I felt I'd been singled out for vitriol I turned in my instrument (with my parents' approval). He wasn't pleased, but he didn't try to dissuade me.

I also played the clarinet for a little while.  Once I went to a week-long music camp where I was stupid enough to think I knew something about how to play.  At the start of the first class, the teacher was telling us how to tongue (touching the reed with your tongue), and warning against "frog-tonguing." That happens when the bottom of your jaw sticks out as your tongue.  Then he got us all to tongue.

A moment later the teacher asked me to stand up and tongue, which I did.  He then said, "This is what I mean by frog-tonguing." A minute later I was in tears.  We hadn't even got to playing notes yet, and I was already being exhibited as a negative example.  He said, "I don't want to discourage you by doing this," but how was I supposed to feel?  Encouraged or just indifferent? (Later on he took me aside and complained about my attitude.)

Most of the piano books I played are packed away downstairs.  We still have a piano and keep it tuned, so I'd like to bring them up someday.  I'd especially like to play the Japanese-style pieces in Yashinao Nakada's Japanese Festival because I've since learned to read the Japanese language.

In recent years I've taken singing lessons.  I sing in an Italian choir and a non-professional opera chorus. (We're putting on Carmen next month.) I also sing karaoke.