Musical Autobiography Essay

Music has been a consistent presence throughout my life. My family introduced me to music. My mother often shared that she was proud to have been selected to be in a choir. She sang aloud on occasion but I do not recall specifics. She had a fondness for Roger Whittaker, Roger Williams and the Irish Rovers. My father liked songs that encouraged silliness like Down by the Bay and the Chicken Dance. Music was listened to on occasion but was not associated with movement in my family. Dancing was not common, at most we might see a hand or a foot tap to the rhythm. I do not recall going to concerts or musical gatherings as a child. My mother made her opinion on artists loud and clear but I was never quite sure what she based her thoughts on. My father

I do recall having to learn ukulele in Grade 4. The purchase of this item was a financial burden so it had a doomed reputation before I had begun to learn it. I did get a chance to take a few piano lessons in Grade 6 but since we did not have a piano it was impossible to progress without practice. I recall my oldest brother took or had a guitar but I don’t believe he became competent, he does not play today. Besides my maternal grandmother, no family member had significant talent for musical instruments. I think people can learn instruments with enough practice but desire to learn the instrument is essential to success. I appreciate the sound a piano makes and would love to be able to play the piano but I am not motivated enough to pursue

We had an old record player in a large cabinet. It’s funny to think how large this piece of furniture was and how small my phone is now. We did have children’s music on records; but I cannot recall listening to them too often. My siblings were much older than me and they exposed me to a variety of classic rock artists Supertramp, The Who, Trooper, BTO, Kiss, Rush. I listened to these artists to emulate my siblings and make a connection with them. In my teens, my peers went nuts for Michael Jackson, Bryan Adams, Madonna, Wham, Cyndi Lauper and U2. I think they chose these artists because they were popular and it was safe to like these artists. Other friends preferred AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. The people that choose these artists had real appreciation for the way the music was played and they analyzed it for hours. Their discussions were always over my head. I choose Billy Idol, the Clash and the Psychedelic Furs and lots of classic rock. My first concert was Pink Floyd. It was pure entertainment in that it was vocal, instrumental and theatrical.

I have only performed music in a group, never solo. I took choir as an elective in Grade 10 and I like to think I was adequate. I was categorized as a soprano. Because we performed in a group I was never nervous to sing to a crowd. I changed schools in Grade 11 and did not join the Choir