Music: Playing and Listening

One of the consistencies in my life has been music. I've been immersed in it since I was born. In fact, my first complete sentence involved music: "Mommy, no sing." Apparently, I had figured out that when she started singing to me, it meant I'd be going to sleep. Fortunately for me, my future experience with music was more pleasurable than being sung to sleep.

My parents (especially my mom) tried to get me interested in music early on. Starting in first grade, I had weekly piano lessons during the school year until sixth or seventh grade. In fourth grade, I was taught how to play the recorder at school. The summer before fifth grade, I started trumpet lessons, and joined the school band when classes started up that year. I've been playing the trumpet in band since then, continuing even at college. (Well, technically, at Bradley I played the cornet, because I had to use one of the school's horns, but the cornet and trumpet are functionally equivalent.)

But I don't just play music (which is good, because I'm not great): I also listen to it. Once again, this habit started young: my brothers and I enjoyed tapes and records [yes, records] of children's music -- The Music Machine and Bullfrogs and Butterflies were two of my favorites, along with Disney and Muppet movie soundtracks and a tape of the Smurfs singing. (It's frightening that I remember these things, really.) As I grew, so did my tastes in music. My older brother listened to a Christian rock group known as Servant, and I really enjoyed hearing them, too; one of my friends introduced me to a band called Undercover (and I finally found and purchased their CD re-release of some of their early albums, so I can once again listen to the songs that my friend and I liked). My brother also hooked me on Petra and, especially, Whiteheart -- and those are still two of my favorite bands. I don't have a very large CD or tape collection, but what I do have, I've listed on the web for all to see.

Peter C. Jones