Music and Family Blog

For my “Music and Family” Blog, I chose both of my parents to ask questions about their musical past; whether it was just the music they listened to or if they have had any musical experience growing up. For some context, my mom was born in Ohio but moved to South Carolina when she was a kid, and my Dad was born and raised here in South Carolina. 

Question 1: What type of music are you most into right now? 

My Dad answered that he was more into upbeat Christian music, which is also his favorite because he likes the songs' messages when listening to them.  

My mom answered that she was more into music from musicals right now. When I asked her why, she replied that there is such a variety of them, and each song can take you to a different place because of the Disney movies my sisters have been watching. 

Question 2: How has your music taste changed over the years?

My Dad started listening to more country as a preteen/teenager but switched to more Rock in the 1970s and 1980s. 

My Mom answered “I started out easy listening to My 102.5 which was like pop music,  then to country music that tells stories like artists Kenny Rogers, Vince Gil, Barry Mallow, Neil Diamond, Bill Collins, and Toby Keith. And from there, I switched more to Christian music.”

Question 3: Did you play any instruments growing up?

While my Dad didn't grow up playing any instruments, my Mom has plenty of it. She replied " I played brass instruments like trumpet, marching baritone, baritone, trombone, a little bit of clarinet and triangle, and french horn. My favorite was the baritone, but the trombone was fun to play but I wasn’t very good at it." 

Question 4: What do you think of the music that kids and young adults listen to today? 

My Mom isn't too sure because she doesn't listen to newer music that often, but my Dad seems to like it for the most part. He likes pop music and all kinds, but he's not too fond of rap because of some of the language that is used. But he did say that some of the artists that he likes today are "Train" and "Taylor Swift" but not Taylor Swift's music where she talks about her ex-boyfriends. 

Question 5: When you were a kid/teen, where would you go to listen to music and how would it be played? 

Both of my parents had answers about how music was played and where they could listen to it.

Dad: “Music was played on the radio, jukebox, 8-track tapes, and record players. There was a store in Anderson called 'John B. Lee’s Music' that would sell everything from 45 records up to musical instruments. You could go in there and preview music and see the kinds of music you liked in a little cubicle booth." 

Mom: “I would listen to music on the radio. There was this place you could order music through the mail called ‘Columbia House.’ You bought 10 cassettes for a penny and then had to pay retail for four more. To listen to music, I had a record player and a Walkman headset that PLAYED CASSETTES. This was the phase after 8-track tapes."

Hearing both of their answers, I realized that todays generations have it a lot better because we have any kind of music that we want with the tap of a screen at any point. 

Question 6: Who are your favorite artists?

Dad: “I still like the Rolling Stones, Bill Collins, U2, Elton John, AC/DC, Kiss, Guns and Roses, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.”

Mom: “John Williams, Carry Underwood, Elvis Presley, and Jeremy Camp. One artist from a long time ago that I like is Barry Manilow.”

Question 7: What is music for? 

When I asked this question, I wasn't sure what kind of answers I was going to get because I knew it could be used in multiple ways. 

Dad: “Music is for relaxing and it’s a way to let yourself unwind. It’s a way to express yourself for who you are.”

Mom: "Music is for communication and a way to learn. It can also be used to focus and drown others out."

Question 8: Do you two have a special song? 

This question was part of the reason I decided to interview both my Mom and Dad. They answered “‘Grow Old with Me.’ We played it at our wedding. And ‘Drift off to dream.’”

When I listened to the songs, it showed me that there's a lot to look forward to in life.