How many seniors have had the gift of music in their lives?

Question

If you sang, danced, played an instrument etc .what are you doing with those talents now?

Answer 1

I learned the 5-string banjo as a teen. Later, I learned the guitar. I was in a band in college with it. Later I took up the fiddle and the upright bass. Now I'm retired and I play with the Washington Old Time Fiddlers bringing music to retirement homes and hospitals and libraries.

Answer 2

I married into a musical family. I'm the only non-musician in my household! I do make a wonderful audience and roady!

My father-in-law played jazz trumpet and sang for many years. He is 80 years old and still composes music on his computer.

My husband sings and plays several instruments. Right now, he and some of his coworkers are rehearsing with the kids from our local group foster home for their holiday presentation. The kids sing and the grownups are their backup band. For these performances my husband plays electric guitar and harmonica.

The group that plays with the kids started getting together and playing rock and roll, a bunch of 40 to 60 year olds with their own garage band . They now play at pubs and bars, and have gigs the next three weekends. My husband also sits in with another group and will play with them next Friday. He plays harmonica, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, bongos, and other percussion.

I guess I have become a groupie! Does that count as a talent?

Answer 3

I still play guitar (not as well as I used to-arthritis has wrecked my "grip"), keyboard and learning ukulele.

I was a tap-dancer...that went to the wayside in my late 20's....too busy.
Played guitar, banjo, slap base, piano, drums (not very well - but adequate), sang, yodeled, acted.

I still sing (age and smokes have turned me from an alto to a basso profundo-HA). I can still yodel - if I don't do it too long....HA!

My whole family including both sets of grandparents were musically inclined and self taught. Family get togethers were incredible. Each brought their instruments and, sure enough, before the day was passed...everyone was playing, singing, banging away on the piano or organ, grandpa on the fiddle playing old-time reels, grandma and her sweet little voice singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" or "Amazing Grace" with all of us coming in on the chorus in varying degrees of harmony. My Uncle Bill sang the popular songs of the day in a clear, beautiful voice. Mom played almost everything, trumpet, sax, piano, fiddle, bass, banjo, flute, pipes, penny whisltles, ocarina.....she could master any instrument easily. She had a most beautiful voice. She and her older sister (who played piano, guitar and banjo) would harmonize and it was beautiful

Mom had an "All-girl" Orchestra in the 1940's called "The Five Jills" and I was surrounded by music from the time I could walk.

My grandparents were Native American mixed so they also did many of those dances adapted to music. My grandfather also was a champion clogger.

Many of our family holiday get-togethers from the 60's and 70's were recorded on home cassette recorders. I have them and how I love to play them once in a while to hear all those ones whom I loved again. They are all gone now....but they live in those tapes and my memories....

Answer 4

I love music so much that I can't even imagine life without it.
I like all music, including zydeco, jazz, country, blues, oldies, rock etc. I sang in a trio with my sisters at church, in a few bands, and solo. Now I sing in the choir at church and sometimes perform solo. My Mom played piano and sang professionally as did my Dad and sisters. I have some type of music on all of the time when not watching TV......even jazz ( quietly) as I drift off to sleep......

Answer 5

I played folk guitar and made a number of appearances at various coffee houses in the midwest, the west coast and Japan. Even had my own TV show on armed forces TV in Okinawa for six months. I've also written a number of modern church hymns and am working on one right now to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer in Las Vegas. Almost forgot. I also wrote a sung Mass using various musical variations from the Pacific and Asia. I call it the Pan-Pacific Mass and it encompasses music from China (Kyrie Eleison) through the Maori culture of the Cook Islands (Gloria) and Indonesia (Pater Noster), Okinawa (Sanctus) and Japan (Agnus Dei).

Answer 6

I sing, but your ears don't want to be around me when I do.
Tried a few instruments but never stayed with it.
But the soul & beat of music has a home in my blood for I love to dance & am just fine at it too.
So the gift of music has always been a large part of my life.

Answer 7

I've never been able to play an instrument and only sing at church or at home for fun, but I always loved to dance. I've never had any lessons, just liked to dance to records, then tapes, now CDs or YouTube. Recently I've really been thinking about taking some lessons, tap would be fun.

Answer 8

My granparents and uncles all played an instrument. When I was in 4th grade, we all played those metal flutes and practiced notes/chords on fold out cardboard key boards. My grandmother was visiting and bought a Bundy clarinet for me in 7th grade (1959) and I still had it almost 20 years later when I left for a year in the Middle East. Someone broke into the storage room at our apt complex and one of the things he stole was my clarinet.
I played sax, clarinet, drums, piano (all self taught) in school and while in Viet Nam started learning how to play guitar.
In 1972 in Antarctica I formed a band (McMurdo Country Sound...since we were on the McMurdo Sound) and we billed ourselves as the best band on the continent. I enjoyed picking & grinning with other pickers. On one of my ships, one of the guys I worked with used to go home to Kentucky every 6 weeks or so and brought back a quart of local moonshine. The next weekend he'd come to my home and spend the weekend. We'd sip the shine and chase it with beer, pickin' and a grinnin' (nice weather, we'd sit on the balcony facing the street). I learned to play some banjo then...blue grass has always been my favorite music.
When my wife and I joined a small church back in 85, we joined the choir. Then the piano player talked us into forming a trio (Soldiers of the Light) and we sang in different venues for a few years. I was a member of an international group (Virginia Voices of the Christian Music Association) for a few years, but my schedule has caused me to take a sabbatical. They sang in Paris, London, Moscow, Uruguay and next October they are going to Scotland.
I was in a quartet at church for a while until our lead singer died (Lighthouse Quartet).
I still sing in our church choir, and sometimes sit alone (I prefer to play with another) and play my 36 year old Yamaha 360 acoustic guitar.

Answer 9

I sang in a choir when I was a kid. We sang at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. One time we were even recorded to a record. My mom still has that record stored away somewhere. Today, I can't hold a tune to save my life, but I still love to sing.

Answer 10

my father and I played the ukulele from the time I was 5, and my sister played the accordian, and my mom had a lovely voice and as a teen I took up the piano, I also sang in the glee club and for the Gilbert and Sullivan club.I sing now poorly to my old time rock and roll and thats about it.