I grew up surrounded by music---My father taught himself to play drums on a chair seat and eventually had a successful orchestra---back in the 30's and 40's.

I love all the music from that era.

My mother taught Piano lessons also had a gorgeous voice.

My sister is a graduate of Westminster Choir College in Princeton N.J. and introduced me to classical music.

We had an old upright piano.

My Uncle had a beautiful baby grand and had some music published. He could play the piano beutifully.

I really don't like some of this music today-----at least they call it music but I think most of it is disgusting.

Florence

Well my Dad (who can not carry a tune in a bucket bless his heart) used to sing to us when we were really super little. He'd make us songs about us. ;) We've always had a musical family, I grew up listening to gaellic songs, bagpipes, Bruce Springsteen. You name it, we listened to it. ;)

Good subject!

Paternal: Sitting on Daddy's lap or at his feet watching him play guitar and singing along

Maternal: Asking Mom not to sing lullabyes because she was so off tune!

2nd grade: Singing "How much is that Doggy in the window?" and "All I want for Christmas is my two front Teeth" at the Christmas Pagaent at Elementary School. Feeling so scared and so proud!

5th grade: Learning to play the Ukelele with my friends and singing "My Momma gave me a Blue MuuMuu" at a talent contest at the grange and winning first place.

6th grade: Finally getting my own radio and staying up late under the covers listening to rock and roll

7th grade: Finally getting into choir in Jr. High and never leaving all the way thru HS. Participating in HS musicals, dicovering Bossa Nova and the Beatles. WOW, what a time for new music. Started playing the guitar.

College: Learned to really play the guitar, took lessons and learned to fingerpick. Elton John, The Beatles, Cat Stevens etc. etc.

1971: My first DH and my Father in Law bought me a mandolin for Christmas. I put down the guitar and never looked back. I have been playing the mando in various groups, as a preschool teacher and just for fun ever since. Never got very good, but it's still fun after all these years.

Currently: Playing mando and doing sound for my friends' rock and roll band. Still writing songs and playing weekly. Have 1250 songs on my iPod. I feel like my life has been defined by music. I'm 55 years old and music is a major source of my happiness today.

Kathy

As a very young child, I remember playing a 45 of John Phillip Sousa's Stars and Stripes over and over on my little record player. I referred to it as "The Train Song" because there was a blue train on the label. I also had a recording of a Japanese song that I sang along with, although I had no idea what the words meant.

My father collected recordings of folk artists, celtic musicians, marching bands, bagpipes, and fiddle music while his friends listened to Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra. My mother always had the radio tuned to the rock and roll station, so I remember hearing all the hits from the 50's and early 60's while in the house.

I took ballet lessons beginning at age 3 and became familiar with the music of great composers without knowing any of their names. It was only later that I learned we were doing plies and sautes to Chopin and Tchaikovsky.

In 5th grade I got my first guitar and the first tune I learned was "Frog Went A-Courtin'", played all in one chord, D, with finger picking. I spent hours in my room learning old folk songs and guitar licks.

Like Kathy, I got my own radio around jr. high and listened to KRLA in the dark, late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping, but that was the only time I could pick up the signal. I loved Neil Diamond's "Cherry, Cherry" and The Doors' "Light My Fire" equally well.

In college I became fascinated with bluegrass music, it just yanked on my heart so hard, especially the fiddle.

One day my father told me his dad had owned a violin and I should go get it from under Aunt Vivian's bed. So I did. I had it repaired and I've been playing it ever since. I get together with a group every week to have fun making music, and I consider it central to my well-being. And it has spread. My husband has learned blues guitar in the last 10 years, daughter plays guitar and piano, son plays electric bass and guitar.

Always had radio and records in the house. First remember doo-wop, especially the guys singing on the corner. Then Motown.

Grandma bought me a piano when I was 4, the church organist (all 6'1" of her) gave lessons (see "5,000 Fingers of Dr. T" for my point of reference...). Had own record player and radio as long as I can remember.

Parents listened to jazz and R&B, I listened to pop/rock.

Played xylophone in 2nd grade. Joined school orchestra in 5th grade, viola, played until 10th grade. Received reel-to-reel tape recorder for 6th grade graduation, portable cassette recorder some time in high school. Radio in kitchen, I always had it on (my job was dish washing every night). Had record store 3 blocks up the street, used allowance to buy 45's and albums. Boom boxes became popular when I was in service, bought my first boom box when I got to Germany, listened to Radio Luxembourg whenever I could tune it in at night.

Big collector of records and CDs, now trying to restrain myself from going wild on iTunes.
My iPod has a wide range of musical styles and types.

HMMM used to play The Tennessee Waltz over and over at 5 or 6. I was in love with a song I heard on the radio several times when I was a kid and tried explaining it to adults weho shook their heads. I never knew what it was till I was an adult and I yelped in the middle of a restaurant when I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing Every Time we Say Goodbye ahhhh. Sixteen through 20 it was Rock and Bach with a little Tchaikovsky on the side. Now it's everything from Chill to Baroque

When my mother could not handle my practicing any more, she grabbed my bakelite recorder from my lips and wallapped me on the back and it snapped in half, THAT is when I REALLY appreciated music as I could not play any more........but my mum had relief! tee-hee!

We always had music of some sort - no one in the family could sing a note. I think my children's first complete sentence was "Mom, don't sing" while driving in the car. I listen to everything from Blue Grass to Gospel to Classical and Opera - just not rap. Lately it has been Jazz and Classical