Music Matters
Next prompt: Music as a bridge to memory
Hello!
Thank you for reading and giving feedback on the ‘Ancestor Prompts’ calendar. Here’s the next Ancestor Prompt I’m testing-music as a bridge to memory.
IMAGINE | BELIEVE | DISCOVER - MUSIC
What songs filled your grandparents’ kitchen? Bagpipes? A fiddle tune? A hymn? Can you sing the old songs? Do you know what they are? What song do you want the next generation to know?
Action: Ask a relative about a favorite family song, then start a shared playlist or voice-record them singing a verse.
Tell me what you found or which music prompt you’d enjoy next! I hope you’re having fun, I know I am.
Xoxo
Shannon
Oh my goodness, I love this prompt. I grew up on music, so many songs came to mind. The one that stands out is “Mama Cusa,” a song my grandfather and grandmother used to play when they lived on Eastchester Road in the Bronx. They had this long chest with a record player built inside. Whenever it was a birthday, an anniversary, or a holiday, they would put the record on. My grandparents never needed a reason to bring the family together, they just enjoyed doing it.
I can still see my grandfather pouring a glass of gin, the music filling the living room, and the two of them dancing, laughing, and moving with so much joy. The house would be full of people, and the sound of music carried through every corner. Those memories are so special because once they passed away, the family stopped gathering in the same way.
My grandparents were the glue that held everyone close. I remember the adults laughing, drinking, and eating while the kids played and had their own fun. It was lively, full of food, music, and love. That song, upbeat and full of energy, will always remind me of those days and the way my grandparents brought people together. https://youtu.be/w2jYjUiulMQ?si=Kd31rH5r1o8FbmTq
This will date me, for sure, but when I was young we only had one television (fairly standard, I'm sure).
Once a week we'd all gather to watch The Lawrence Welk Show. This was not exactly contemporary music, but my parents liked it and my siblings and I were far too young to have musical favorites. I remember the show had a bubble machine and his theme song was "Tiny Bubbles in the Wine." I still remember Welk's German accent and the way he used to say "wunnerful, wunnerful."
Music was not a huge part of my early childhood, but Lawrence Welk's champagne music is something I'll always remember.