Carolyn Thompson Lee at the piano Some people have the ability to light up a room just by entering it. That was my mother. She loved people. She collected life-long friends faster than other people collect coins. Carolyn Thompson Lee never met a stranger. She had the unique ability to join a group and within minutes learn everybody's name and life story as well as get invitations to stay at their houses whenever she happened to have the need. (She actually took a lady up on that once, too. But that's another story.) She was great at parties. She could sit at the piano playing mood music while carrying on six different conversations!
My mother was a talented singer, accompanist, teacher and director. She could make excitement and magic happen. My mom was always up for creating a show. And because she was able to play the piano by ear, she could make music on the spot without the need for written scores.
My mother was a talented singer, accompanist, teacher and director. She could make excitement and magic happen. My mom was always up for creating a show. And because she was able to play the piano by ear, she could make music on the spot without the need for written scores.
Battle Hymn of the Republic Grammy Award winning single 1959 When we moved to Pasadena, Texas in 1963, we weren't sure what kind of musical adventures we'd have. For my mother, the move at first was a downer. She had to leave her association with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Really, though, my mom only had to open her mouth to sing and heads would turn. She was an instant celebrity when she mentioned that she sang the high notes on the (then) recently released popular recording of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." It wasn't long before she was leading the Church Choir, singing solos for funerals and weddings, and organizing shows for school, church, and community events.
I was so spoiled growing up with my own dedicated vocal coach and accompanist. If my friends and I wanted to plan something special for school, my mom would jump in and help us make it fabulous. In 5th Grade, we even had the idea to produce our own version of "Peter Pan" as a school musical. We never knew we couldn't, because Mom made us look so professional. The music teacher at school loved her. She was always on call to accompany for any of Mrs. Richardson's choirs.
Growing up for me was kind of like living in a movie musical. I could start singing and my mother could get to a piano and instantly jump into the accompaniment. I didn't have to suspend my disbelief when watching a musical where the characters suddenly burst into song (with full accompaniment). That WAS my reality.
I was so spoiled growing up with my own dedicated vocal coach and accompanist. If my friends and I wanted to plan something special for school, my mom would jump in and help us make it fabulous. In 5th Grade, we even had the idea to produce our own version of "Peter Pan" as a school musical. We never knew we couldn't, because Mom made us look so professional. The music teacher at school loved her. She was always on call to accompany for any of Mrs. Richardson's choirs.
Growing up for me was kind of like living in a movie musical. I could start singing and my mother could get to a piano and instantly jump into the accompaniment. I didn't have to suspend my disbelief when watching a musical where the characters suddenly burst into song (with full accompaniment). That WAS my reality.
Mom was such a free spirit. She was completely uninhibited. She would sing with great abandon in public places (like the grocery store). If I was with her, I would try to hide if she decided to sing along with the ambient music playing. She had trouble getting used to the extreme heat and humidity in Houston. Sometimes after dark when temperatures were cooler, she'd convince me and my sister to go out walking and singing with her. It mattered not that we were in our dainty nylon nighties. (Nowadays, we'd probably get arrested for doing that!)
Probably her greatest talent was helping other people feel confident in performing. She taught many, many music lessons each week. Parents brought their children from great distances to be taught piano or voice lessons by my mother. She explained to me once when I complained that I didn't get any lessons that, "You're no daughter of mine if you can't pick it up on your own." She was right in a way. I got the benefit of hearing hundreds of lessons just by being in the house. (I did have trouble getting time to practice on our overbooked piano, though. I guess that's why I am a singer first because I always had access to that instrument.)
Probably her greatest talent was helping other people feel confident in performing. She taught many, many music lessons each week. Parents brought their children from great distances to be taught piano or voice lessons by my mother. She explained to me once when I complained that I didn't get any lessons that, "You're no daughter of mine if you can't pick it up on your own." She was right in a way. I got the benefit of hearing hundreds of lessons just by being in the house. (I did have trouble getting time to practice on our overbooked piano, though. I guess that's why I am a singer first because I always had access to that instrument.)
When my mother was very little, she would listen to her older sister Janie practice the piano. When Janie was done, she would sidle up onto the stool and imitate what she heard Janie play. She never had any lessons either. (It helped that she had perfect pitch, though.) Here's a page from my book about aunt Janie Thompson: The Girl from Nowhere Who Went Everywhere. Janie was 8 years older than my mom. This picture depicts Janie playing piano while my mother was trying to play along, too.
RSS Feed