There were many adults in my life that inspired my musical interest. My parents, Fred and Marie Andres took their 3 year old son to classical concerts at the Eastman Theatre. Sometimes I fell asleep!
During elementary school, Miss Dolan from School # 35 and Miss Beckwith from School # 33 inspired me with the variety of songs taught during class. Miss Dolan insisted that I would sing an Irish lullaby solo on stage in 2nd Grade. That was my last solo! (read more)
At East High School, music teacher Mr. Billhorn directed the Senior Choir. I was glad to be part of an ensemble without any solo parts. Mr. Billhorn would often place a classical recording on the turntable in class. He would leave the room for several minutes and his piano teacher Mr.V. would turn off the machine and return to the piano and start playing rock music. Just before Mr. Billhorn would come back to the room, Mr.V. would restart the record somewhere in the middle of the selection. It would seem like we were listening to classical music, but it was a taste of modern music that all teens liked in the 1960’s.
During my 5th Grade teaching years, I was inspired by music teacher Mrs.Isobel Scalise who taught at Kirk Road School in Greece, N.Y. She was the best with her choral concerts and her kindness to her students. At one time in the 1970’s, she let me borrow her classical records to play on the radio (WRUR-FM).
Thank you all for my love of music.
