First Musical Memory - What is yours?

February 25, 2013 at 1:00 PM

My very first musical memory is this clip from Sesame Street.

I absolutely loved this clip and was excited every time it was shown on Sesame Street. I was even more excited when I found it on youtube a few years ago.

I remember between the ages of 3 and 5 walking past my great grandfather's violin every day. My mom had it on display in the formal area of our house on a sideboard. I would think every time I walked by how much I wanted to play the violin. My parents did not know where I could study the violin at such a young age but they did know where I could study piano. So off to piano lessons I went at 5 years old. I loved the piano - absolutely loved it. I would come home from my piano lessons and bring my favorite doll out to the piano and teach her how to play. Without knowing it at the time, this was the best way to learn. I was reinforcing what I learned at the lessons by teaching my doll. I loved to read music - it was a new and exciting language.

My mom listened to classical music and she had the Readers' Digest records. I do remember one that was Russian favorites. I loved that album. She would listen to classical music in the car and we would play a game of guessing the composer. While I was learning to read, my mom would watch opera on TV and have me read the opera subtitles out loud to her. What an excellent educational tool combining music and reading. Thanks Mom!!

When I was in first and second grade I had to get special permission at the school library to read the older grades books on the musical composers. I couldn't get enough of this new world:)

My mom loved musicals. I honestly cannot say how many times I watched South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, and Fiddler on the Roof just to name a few. Camelot was her favorite so we watched that together many, many, many times:) Summer of fourth grade came along and my school had a program where I could start violin. I was so excited and my parents enrolled me in the program. From that point on I studied violin and piano simultaneously.

What are your first musical memories? Feel free to share your first musical memories in the comment box below.

Heather Broadbent

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From Kevin Keating
Posted on February 26, 2013 at 3:46 AM

I can't remember a specific moment. But my Mom always had a radio playing in the house. My parents liked the big band sound. For some reason the Chopsticks melody seems to stick in my head when I think about that. Neither of my parents were playing an instrument by the time I came along, but I know from pictures that my Mom played piano when she was young and my Dad said once that he had always wanted to play the trumpet.

From William Horning
Posted on February 26, 2013 at 4:58 AM

Schoolhouse Rock. Most of what I know about grammar and US Government I learned there. :) Following that, we move into the musical guests on the Muppet Show (some big names there). I've listened heavily to music all my life.

From Krista Moyer
Posted on February 26, 2013 at 1:09 PM

My first musical memory is from the ballet Coppelia. I was four years old, and a production was held at the Post where my father was stationed. My mother took me, and I sat through the entire thing, completely enraptured.

My father also used to turn the sound off on the TV when watching Sunday football. He played opera soundtracks instead. It's amazing how often arias would sync up with long passes. To this day, I associate Madame Butterfly with the Dallas Cowboys.

From Jessie Dresser
Posted on February 26, 2013 at 3:02 PM

My mom bought me this narrated CD about Beethoven and his major works and the only song I wanted to listen to was the second movement of his seventh symphony. I still love that movement today and that is the only clear musical memory I have.

From Heather Broadbent
Posted on February 26, 2013 at 3:09 PM

These are amazing and interesting comments. Beethoven's second movement of the 7th symphony is one of my all time favorites as well. Opera and football - too funny!!! I can seriously see how that would sync in some cases and be absolutely hysterical. Definitely the Muppets - Love the swedish chef:) This reminds me of another musical memory when I was very young. My dad would watch Saturday morning cartoons with Road Runner, Wil E Coyote and Bugs Bunny - so much classical music there. A few years ago I played a concert with the Rockford Symphony where we played the selections of the classical music while the cartoon images were on the big screen for the audience. Lots of fun:) Thanks so much for sharing:)

From Alison S
Posted on February 26, 2013 at 8:42 PM

My very first musical memory is the Smokey Robinson song Tears of A Clown. It was probably the circus music that captured my attention even though I found the song annoying and at the same catchy. Of course now I realise what a great song this is.

Pinky and Perky also feature strongly in my childhood memories, although they now seem very creepy! I'm going to have nightmares tonight thinking about them.

My parents regularly listened to
Bert Kaempfert and James Last which probably explains my love for world music.

They also had several Mantovani collections which always seemed to be on the turntable. I can remember my sister and I dancing round the living room to Zorba the Greek (more posturing than dancing for we knew nothing of Greek dancing). Sadly, Mantovani's version of Tales from the Vienna Woods reminds me of when my cat died and for that reason all Strauss waltzes make me feel sad. We also enjoyed singing along to a recording of Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino in the car which used to annoy my Dad when he was driving.

My first experience of 'proper' classical music was listening to Peter and the Wolf as an infant at a school assembly and filing it away in my mind as something good to come back to when I was older.

Sorry for the long response, but all of these memories explain my taste in music.

From Julie Wilson
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 2:46 AM

My first musical memory was The Beatles singing "Yesterday." Still my favorite song.

From Heather Broadbent
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 12:41 PM

Thanks Alison and Julie! I remember very clearly hearing Peter and the Wolf for the first time when I was younger - I was very scared. It still evokes the same feeling for me now:) Pretty incredible how music is emotionally powerful and those emotions stay with us for our lifetime.

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First Musical Memory - What is yours?

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