Family and Music

Music has always been a very important part of my family. Recently, my grandmother found an old tape of my grandfather and my sister singing Christmas songs. My grandfather and mom had taught my sister every word to every verse from songs including Jingle Bells to We Wish You A Merry Christmas. She was no older than about a year and a half to two years old when my grandfather recorded her on the tape. As a child, my mom sang to me and my siblings while teaching us all sorts of music. I can remember riding in the car with my family singing random songs that came on the radio. After my grandmother let my mom and sister hear the tape Christmas morning, my mom said through the rough patches in her first marriage, she would sing and teach us songs as an escape. Music carried her throughout all the bad things that happened during her first marriage. It is so powerful how music can save a person from the world and its wrong doings.
At a young age I was introduced to musical instruments. My grandfather played the French Horn, my mom played percussion instruments in high school/the piano, and my sister plays the clarinet. I became amazed at the sounds of all these instruments wanting to always play my sister's clarinet, but she would never let me play it. :( My mom tried to teach me the piano, but at the time I was not too interested in learning the piano.
Growing up in a very religious home, my parents always played Christian music in the house and in the car. Whenever I get in the car with my parents, they always have 89.3 playing on the radio, which is a Christian Station. It is wonderful sharing the passion of Christ with my parents through listening to music on the radio.
In many ways, my family played a huge part in introducing me to music in so many forms from singing to simply listening to my sister play her clarinet.