What it is!

I used to listen to country music on a transistor radio under my pillow, something that my grandma Hattie and my dad taught me back in the late ’70s. On family road trips, I learned harmony as my dad and I sang along with the 8-tracks. I used to record myself on cassettes playing Atari, chipmunk speed. In school I did band and choir, and I’ve been in a few bands since then. I think my son and I inherited a jukebox in our heads, and now we sing songs from dusk ’till dawn. Everyone in our family loves listening to music and most of them can play and sing!

Our whole house is filled with musical instruments. We have the piano that I broke and fixed from my mom’s grandma, the bouzouki that I rode a moped for in Greece, the mandolin and bass that grandpa Dick gave us, some keyboards including a tube organ and a few accordions, guitars, drums, harmonicas, a trumpet, a clarinet, recording stuff and more. I love that our family is filled with music!

I’ve learned about all kinds of music and always love anything about music, now especially music for children and families. My practice in child and family therapy teaches me daily how music is a great way to get to know people and integrate their stories in the process. I also have listened to lots of kid’s music lately, and thankfully our son loves the Beatles most of all!

I’m looking forward to sharing all about music and families, thanks! I’ll be talking about all of this and more, so stay tuned…

12 Comments Add your own

1. b | September 16, 2010 at 10:46 am

is this about harmonicas or not?
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- 2. gorkbra | September 16, 2010 at 2:56 pm
  
  there will be information about harmonicas but not exclusively, the site will talk mostly about harmony and family with some harmonica thrown in!
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3. Linda Bogaard | September 21, 2010 at 9:45 am

Loved going down “memory lane” with you as you shared about music in your life. Music is a great way to learn just about anything…used a lot in schools to teach language, math, geography, etc. We (kids and adults) seem to remember things better when set to music.
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4. Linda Bogaard | September 21, 2010 at 9:53 am

Just remembered, the series of audiotapes and then videos (probably DVDs by now) were called Schoolhouse Rock. There was one song called “Conjunction Junction”. Ring any bells from your childhood?
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- 5. HarmonicFamily | September 21, 2010 at 4:34 pm
  
  we have the DVD set and waiting to pull it back out when he shows more interest in adjectives and US history!
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6. doschadisks | September 21, 2010 at 10:35 am

Ah yes, I loved listening to your made up tunes on the black tape recorder. Dancing the YMCA in the living room with a mic in hand, making a drumset out of mom’s tupperware (still think you can see the marks on them).
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- 7. HarmonicFamily | September 21, 2010 at 4:35 pm
  
  ha! one of my future posts will be about the tupperware and ways to make instruments out of things around the house, i wish i had a picture of that tupperset!
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  - 8. doschadisks | September 22, 2010 at 7:50 am
    
    I’m almost sure I remember a picture. I’ll have to look for it at mom’s.
9. Juanita Lewis | September 23, 2010 at 9:03 pm

Mason has a lot of musical talent on his mother’s side also.
Great, great, great Grandpa Dave played the fiddle, Great great Granpa Georgie played the piano, organ, accordian fiddle and harmonica. Papa Lew and Uncle Jer both play the guitar and sing and Uncle Kurt plays the Sax and has a beautiful voice and his mom played the Clarinet.

So Mason should really have a lot of musical talent, and, oh yes I can play the radio. Does that count? (Ha!)

Both of you keep up the good work. Will keep checking on you.
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- 10. HarmonicFamily | September 23, 2010 at 9:25 pm
  
  thanks grandma nita! we’ve all been very blessed to have such musical experiences and i’m hoping to have people share all of them here, thanks so much for helping me out!
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11. Cherie | March 7, 2011 at 11:17 am

Don’t overlook that you wouldn’t have met your wife to start your harmonic family without music! I loved hearing your family band at New Year’s. Cut, cut, cut… Hey, you should review some of the children’s literature that incorporates music like that series of jazz playing animals like Duck Ellington. Just a thought.
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- 12. HarmonicFamily | March 7, 2011 at 12:45 pm
  
  you must have read my mind!!! this month i’m going to start reviewing children’s books about music so thanks for the visit and stay tuned!
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