Music 101 or was it 99?

Flashbacks of this memory came as I was listening to Austin play the trumpet for me last night. Even though you can hear the trumpet throughout an entire scout camp, any new trumpet player feels like they need to be in the same room as you are, so that you can hear them play every song they are learning. And it's always during the dinner hour as well.

While growing up there were a number of musical prodigies in the making. Betsy was always touted by mom and dad as "the singer".  She played the piano as well, but whenever we sang the Romney Song she was always "who's the one who is the singer in our family" . . . Some of her big hits were "The Rose" and of course the famous Olympic theme song, "One Moment in Time".

I always wanted to be a singer, but because I wasn't as cute as Betsy or as socially presentable, mom and dad "encouraged" me to be the musical sound behind the singers voices. So Eddie and I became great friends. Yes, he is the piano teacher who told us one day when mom was not there (because she saw no harm in leaving 4 children, 13 and under alone with a single, music theory loving man. Hmmm. No red flags there.) that he would beat us all if we were his kids. That's the kind of influence I had to guide me towards a love for music. So I serenaded many with Merry Farmer and Minuets.

Ryan made his big debut with the trumpet. The reason I still remember that he played the trumpet was because his trumpet case smelled so bad that he had to keep it outside on the back patio. I think that was mom's excuse for getting him to practice outside as well. Lucky neighbors.

Brooke of course is known for her beloved piano rendition of Deck the Halls. Ask her to play it and she remembers it to this very day.

Greg was another one of our singers. Yet he sang at a much louder volume and almost entirely off key at many of our family home evenings. When mom called him on it, he acted like he had no idea what she was talking about.

Meridith is also multi talented with playing the flute and belting out melodic melodies. She is actually talented enough that she could perform outside of family home evenings and Hayward 4th ward performances. She actually did a beautiful job when she betrothed her love to Bart at their wedding.

Grant, he can sing out some good country twang and play a mean guitar!

So, where did all this musical talent come from? But of course, Mother Maria and Father van Tropp. Don't you remember the song dad amazed us with that he would play on the piano? It started at one end of the piano and finished at the other end. I was so impressed with his piano abilities until I learned enough about piano to realize he was playing the chords for each of the major scales. You get two points for majorly impressing a seven year old girl!

And our dear mother, who I had never heard play the piano before, says one night at family home evening, "I'll play the song." She then sits down at the piano and busts out with Love at Home. After questioning her, she later admitted, that was the only hymn she knew and that she had learned it years earlier. Fancy that! The only song mom knows how to play is Love at Home. Hmmm. Isn't that a coinkidink!