Music and Family

I can't think of a better person to discuss musical experiences with other than my grandmother, Josephine Leone. My grandmother was born in 1936 just outside of Chicago and her father was an owner of a music store. One of the first things I asked was to share her earliest memories of music with me. She shared with me memories of her dad teaching her to play the accordion at three years old. She grew up in an Italian family and the accordion was common for Italian boys to learn how to play. Her father would play the accordion for her and she would learn by repeating what he would play. One of the first things she learned to play at the age of three was jingle bells! Since the accordion was special to my grandmother, she had a kid-sized accordion for me to play with when I would go to her house as a child. Below I have a picture my grandparents got of me trying to play the accordion at their house when I was two. (Sidenote-- my grandparents are still together after over 60 years of marriage! My grandpa just turned 91 and is still heavily involved in triathlons and running races!)

 

I asked my grandmother if she ever got to play any instruments in school and she explained how music in the school system has changed so much since she was a kid. When she was in school, there was no such thing as music class in elementary or middle school. Finally, when she got to high school there was an extracurricular band that she could participate in. She really wanted to participate in the band, so during marching season, she played the marching bells. After marching season, they no longer needed the bells and she did not know what to play since the other instruments she knew were the keyboard and the accordion. Her band director Mr. Granger gave my grandmother lessons on the flute so she could continue to participate in the band. Mr. Granger was very special to my grandmother and she kept in contact with him until he passed away. 

In addition to participating in the high school band, my grandmother was a member of a band called "Jo and The Boys". She started playing professionally during her junior year of high school when she was 17 and continued playing in the band for 33 years. Many of the musicians in the band were friends of her father since he wanted to make sure she was safe. The band would stay out playing till 12 or 1 AM and since there were no cell phones her father would only let her play with people he trusted. "Jo and The Boys" were advertised in the local newspaper and they would play for various events. My grandmother started out on the amplified accordion and later transitioned to the portable organ. She thoroughly enjoyed playing in the band and became very close with many of the other band members. 

My dad and my uncle ended up both being heavily involved in music and I asked if that was something they chose to pursue or if she pushed them into doing so. To answer this question she gave me an analogy. If a kid has grandparents who own a candy store, and the kids are frequently brought to the candy store, naturally they will want to try everything. Likewise, she brought her kids to her father's music store and he allowed her kids to pick any instrument they would like to take home and try. Once they took it home, he would teach them the basics, and if they didn't like it they would take it back to the store and try something else. They tried various instruments from the drums to the clarinet but they both ended up sticking with the horns. 

While much of the interview with my grandmother consisted of experiences in making music, I also asked about her preferences in listening to music. When she was a kid, my grandmother listened to big band music because that is what her parents listened to. The primary method she used to listen to music was the radio since records were more expensive items in the 30s and 40s. I asked if there was any music that she wasn't allowed to listen to and there was nothing she could think of  (rock and roll wasn't even around during this time). One of her favorite genres to listen to today is jazz, and in particular, she enjoys "funky jazz" which I had never heard of. After our interview, she emailed me a YouTube video of an example of funky jazz which I have linked below. Finally, I asked what she thinks of the music that kids listen to today-- I couldn't wait for this one! She immediately described the music as "just noise". She finds that a lot of music today is lacking in complexity, structure, and a melody that she can sing along with. She has a difficult time determining when a song begins or ends and where the bridge is. Overall, my grandmother was thrilled to share her musical experiences with me, and I was eager to listen to her tell stories I had never heard before.