When I was little I hated to practice piano. Some of you have read the post where I told the story of me destroying my mother’s curtains when I was forced to practice.
As I grew older, I did enjoy it much more. The only thing I wanted to play in the band like Joan, but I did survive.
When I was only six I started having recitals with my little songs. I was reading the clippings about them, and I still have the programs with the names of the songs. On one such occasion Joan and I presented Mrs. Kintigh with a corsage for having the recital in her home with refreshments for the parents and grandparents. The social reporter had all the names included and spelled correctly.
Mrs. Kintigh was married to Mr. Kintigh whose first name I think was Ray or Raymond. I believe he ran the Skelly station. I think he was the one that wanted to run and hide when we came in with nickels, dimes, and quarters to buy gasoline and we wanted of course, full service! He wore a uniform that was white with navy blue stripes, a bow tie, and a hat. That was the fifties, remember.
I continued to play the piano and graduated to electric organ and the pipe organ in the Methodist church. My teacher was fantastic. I cannot remember her name but she lived on Sioux Valley Drive. She also taught my mother piano and organ lessons to boost her freedom of the keyboard on the organ.
The picture that you see at the top of the page is me in a gown for the variety show that Mr. McCarthy was directing. I was playing piano that evening. I remember that evening well, just one solo. I just recently found the music that Rosemary had sung that night. It was called “Orange Colored Sky.” It was beautiful and Rosemary did a professional job of singing it and had fantastic stage presence.
Isn’t it interesting what we remember from forty years ago?
I would like to remember your teacher that lived on Sioux Valley Drive - that is where I lived when we moved to town!!!! Can you remember what side of the street and how far from the end. Do you remember where Evan Kanpp lived (our 8th grade history teacher) and where I lived - was it that side or across the street?? Let me know and I may be able to figure out who she was!!!
ReplyDeleteshe was the main organist for the Methodist church it wasn't as far up as you lived. it was an old fashioned house with 2 pillars on the front porch. same side of the street that you lived on. It is really bugging me. I have some RSVP cards maybe I can find an invitation. May have her name on it. I
ReplyDeleteJo I think it starts with a Bl..... maybe?
ReplyDeleteOMG -- Mrs. Kintigh -- a name from MY past -- bet you didn't know that I took piano lessons from her... yup, but unfortunately I did not PRACTICE much. And it was absolutely AGONY to take my lesson when I had not practiced. She forced me to blunder through every single song I was assigned --and then I got the same songs the next week! I was older when I took lessons, and so at her recitals, I was playing something like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while you were playing Beetoven's Piano Concerto #3! (I never DID like anything Beethoven wrote!-- my fingers did NOT cooperate with all those scales he wrote. It only took one or two of those embarrassing recitals to start begging and pleading to QUIT piano lessons and FINALLY Mom gave in and let me quit. (Not without a long lecture about how I would "regret it later in life")I think we paid $1.25 per week???
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Mom paid a dollar an hour for my lessons because she reminded me every time I told her I didn't want to practice. I looked and looked and couldn't find your name on the programs I had for the recitals. that would have been too cool, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteI remembered her name. Mrs. Bushlow. She did not live 0n Sioux Valley Drive I think on Bluff. Any way it makes me feel good to finally remember her name. Such a nice lady!!
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