Debbie,

I don't remember your voice being that bad. I do remember your beautiful flute playing.

When I say I can sing, it means that I can stay in tune. The voice is not great, but it works. I spent some time two years ago with the San Fernando Valley Male Chorus, and I may rejoin this year. It was a lot of fun, but instrumental music is more fun.

After leaving college I didn't play very often. When my daughter started junior high, she wanted to learn to play an instrument. She was interested in the flute and percussion, like my father played. We went to visit Dad one day, and he showed her the instruments and worked with her a bit. When we got home, she asked me to get out the clarinet to see if she could play that. She was hooked, and I had her playing tunes before school started. Then I decided to play more often. I joined a new organization here in town, the Santa Susana Symphony. It was great playing the Beethoven Symphonies and Schubert's Unfinished, and many other works. The orchestra folded after three years, so I hooked up with the Santa Clarita Valley Concert Band, and played until about four years ago. Since then, the arthritis has hit, and I can't play anymore. I miss it.

As for my daughter's music, she played clarinet, alto sax, and percussion in school. In high school she was in the Wind Ensemble, the Concert Orchestra, the Jazz Ensemble and the Drumline. In her senior year, she was also in the Vocal Ensemble. She was a music major in college briefly. She has also sung in some community theater productions. Now she has stopped playing and singing.

Enjoy singing with the church choir!

Gary