Musicians and Parents - Introduce yourself! - Page 2

mezzomom · 10-31-2006, 12:14 PM

Mom of a freshman music (vocal) major (BA) who is also currently pursuing approval for an individualized BA in Global Cultural Studies. She is not particularly driven to pursue performance (although she is the only freshman at her college cast in both operas being performed winter quarter); she sees her study of music as more about cross-cultural connections. Also played the horn for 7+ years; gave it up because of arthritis issues but informed me this week that she wants to try playing again.

I am an appreciator only; husband is self-taught on guitar and has an incredible ear...I think if there's a music gene, it came from him.

weenie · 10-31-2006, 12:37 PM

(Can I post even though I don't have kids at fancy music schools?)

Both kids "first generation musicians." (Poor things...)

Eldest son (sophomore at Denison U) plays trumpet. Studied at Eastman Community School with Wes Nance (Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra) and Bob Sneider (Jazz improv. extraordinaire). Attended Essentially Ellington competition in 2003 (the highlight of his trumpet career!). He is minoring in Music at Denison. Denison offers small music scholarships (that can be added onto their generous merit aid) to kids who minor in music (and free lessons).

Second son (high school senior) is a cellist. Studying at Eastman Community School with Kathy Kemp (RPO Assistant Principal). Plays in one of the two community youth orchestras and plays in a cello ensemble at Eastman Comm. Wants to be an engineer - not a music major.

One thing I will say for Rochester, our kids have great opportunities in music; just amazing really. Some of my kids' friends (who are better musicians than them) study with collegiate faculty from Eastman and the level of ensembles here is amazing.

orchestramom · 10-31-2006, 12:52 PM

great idea!

I'm Mom to Fiddlekid (Junior D) who's considering violin performance and/or double degree (humanities? language? journalism?). At least that's today's plan...tomorrow, who knows? My hunch is that she will create some way to tie all her various interests together, though I have no idea what form that will take.

She is taking lessons from a really wonderful teacher to whom we make a twice-monthly pilgrimage of 280 miles rountrip. We are currently searching for a better instrument, plotting out audition schedules for next summer's music programs (trying to avoid conflicts with SATs and her Youth Orchestra concert schedule), starting to put together the preliminary college list -- and trying to figure out how to pay for it all

I did 12 years of piano lessons back in the stone age (with very little to show for it in terms of performance ability). H has no musical background whatsoever, although being Australian he does have a certain fondness for the digeridoo....

MGMom · 10-31-2006, 01:33 PM

As MGMom I'm Mom of the self-proclaimed Music Geek, a Junior with an eye on possible double-degree Music Ed/Math (instrument is voice) or just Music Major someplace with strong academics overall. Loves choral and music theater but not planning to be a MT major. Will begin college visits soon and will see where this takes us!

lorelei2702 · 10-31-2006, 02:46 PM

S is ex-cello major at MSM, now pre-med at state university; D is opera singer in Europe, as is SIL; I (Mom) am a retired university music professor, presently teaching and coaching privately, degrees in voice (BM and DMA) and music history (MM).

binx · 10-31-2006, 04:13 PM

Wow - this is great. I'm learning so much. Since Bassdad upped the ante, I better amend.

Quote:

Parent (Mom), S is horn performance major at Juilliard, D is HS senior, violinist, looking to either minor or continue as avocation - not sure where.

Adding: In addition to horn and piano, S2 also composes. S1 plays a mean guitar (and a nice one) and took music history classes in college for the fun of it. All five of us play piano. H plays violin. I was a piano teacher, and probably will return to it, although I am not a degreed musician. I have also, in the past, played clarinet, flute, and organ. There are musical genes throughout our family - including a great uncle of mine who graduated from Juilliard in its early years (voice). My kids didn't have a choice!

thumper1 · 10-31-2006, 04:51 PM

I'm the parent of a senior trumpet player at BU, and a non-music major DD who is playing oboe at Santa Clara.

shennie · 10-31-2006, 06:02 PM

I am the mom of a son who graduated in May from Eastman with a degree in cello performance. He is currently living at home while he decides where he wants to go for grad school and preps for the auditions. Middle son is very unmusical and is a junior at Lewis and Clark. Youngest son is musical - plays viola, piano, and composes, but will not major in it. He is a freshman at Oberlin.

Hubby and I both sang in college choir together. I also played flute and guitar in high school and messed around a bit with piano. Neither of us does much musical these days but hubby sings all the time. Unfortunately he mostly sings ditties from commercials, Christmas carols all year round and old TV themes....)

mommab · 10-31-2006, 06:34 PM

I'm the mom of a freshman trumpet major at Eastman. Husband and I are not musicians, but we've identified distant relatives who played the accordian and guitar, so I think son inherited his musical talent on a recessive gene. Daughter is a high school junior who was briefly famous as first chair flute in the sixth grade band. She has since retired from music, and is interested in pursuing engineering, architecture, international business, law, or foreign languages, but definitely not chemistry!

StringMom · 10-31-2006, 06:50 PM

DD is a senior in HS and plays violin. She's at Peabody prep and getting ready for auditions. "The List" includes Eastman, Cleveland, Oberlin, Hartt, Mercer, and NYU (anybody else going to the open house auditions in two weeks?). DS is a HS freshman and played trombone, which he dropped this year so he could be in junior ROTC and play football . . DH is an airline pilot, but would trade it all in a heartbeat to be a symphony musician! I just play with numbers (finance & accounting).

double bass mom · 10-31-2006, 07:07 PM

My son is senior, double bass, mostly interested in BM program for classical performance wi LA or University but loves many string instruments, jazz too. Middle school D plays clarinet but not going to study music in college. As parents, we have always inspired many types of music in home (singing, playing guitar and piano by ear), but neither of us have formal training. We are learning as we go along (thanks to all of you who are helping greatly with our education too).

thumper1 · 10-31-2006, 07:26 PM

OK..I didn't realize I needed to give the music "family tree". DS plays the trumpet and piano. DD plays the oboe and piano. Both sang in a highly regarded children's choir (DS 5 years, DD 7 years). DD, like Weenie's kiddo, continues to study her oboe and play in the orchestra...and she too received a music performance scholarship this quarter. DS will (hopefully) graduate in May and will either enter the real world for a while or attend grad school. Both kids played in the precollege ensembles at the Hartt School (orchestra and wind ensemble). DH was a theater techie but has nothing to do with music (although he has a great ear!!). I was a music major (voice) until I realized I didn't have the drive to succeed as a performer (too whimpy...not my voice...my drive). But I still sing in community theater events, and at weddings on occasion.

TwinDad · 10-31-2006, 07:44 PM

S and D both juniors in high school (hence user name). S plays trombone, baritone hone, drums, fiddles (pardon the pun) with keyboard/piano and recorder. He is a drum corps geek (DCI Div. III), also loves playing in the jazz band at school and his own trombone quartet. (I've almost convinced them to do the opening movement of Beethoven's Fifth, arranged for trombone choir.) He's considering music ed programs--hopefully at a state school--anywhere near a good Div. I drum corps.

D wants to go into musical theater, so I've posted on that forum a couple times as well.

Full disclosure: You may have seen one of my posts here under the user name BonePop, as I got around to thinking that there might be some occasions where I should focus just on S and not get mixed up in the twin thing.

lorelei2702 · 10-31-2006, 07:45 PM

I should have added that H can carry a tune lustily, but he balked at piano lessons (with one of my voice students) when he found out about the counting part, so we would have to say he is a very untrained musician. He has developed a good sense of things over the years from exposure to the efforts of all the family musicians, and he listens to a broad range of classical music. His observations about the classical singers he hears is usually fairly astute, though sometimes rather colorful.

jazzguitar · 10-31-2006, 09:27 PM

Junior in high school, contemplating double degree, music for sure. I'm a jazz guitarist primarily, but am also interested in the tenor sax (what I play in concert band a school), as well as the possibility of starting up the banjo and acoustic bass! I also want to get in to some film scoring some time during my life if possible, but performance and maybe music ed is where I' leaning at the moment.

I'm from MA, and I'm just trying to make it through high school before I start to worry about this too early.