One BabyBoomer's Story about Music

Growing up in S.C. in the 50's afforded me loads of opportunities to listen to music. My father was a Methodist minister and all five kids were at church every time the doors opened. I guess that church music was the first music that I really loved and that made me feel safe, secure, and loved. I loved singing hymns out in the congregation and I loved hearing the choir sing each Sunday and the organist playing her preludes and postludes. When I was about in fifth grade, they started a junior choir and I thought that was heavenly! Of course I was already taking piano lessons when we moved to Clemson in 1957 and I continued those in Clemson.

One of my fondest memories of music in Clemson was being taken to a concert at the old Field House given by the Obenkirchen Children's Choir. I never knew that children could make such a beautiful sound and I wanted to be in a choir like that too!

Because we lived by the church, up on "Holy Hill," we were also across the street from the football team's practice field. We could watch the team doing their spring training but we could also hear the marching band practice. Even today when I hear snare drums I think of the Clemson Marching Band and I can smell the Fall leaves and feel the excitement.

As I became a pre-teen and then a teen, I had a little transistor radio at my bedside and I learned all the popular songs of '61 and '62. I also began going to dances at the school, in the church basement and at the "Y Cabin. You should have seen me doing the "Twist" and the "Mashed Potato!" (I should probably do more of that now!)

Well, gotta stop for tonight. I'm getting ready to return to Clemson on Thursday to speak and I'm creating more CD's to take with me and working on some piano pieces to play during my presentation.

If you live in Clemson or anywhere near by, please come to see me! I'll be speaking at 7:30 on the Calhoun lecture series. Call Donna Arterburn for more info at 864-656-0605 . Hope to see you there!