School Music

I remember them and how sometimes I'd lose the beat thinking Mr. Fried, the music teacher was Alan Fried and Mr. Lafayette the band director looked like a radio tube. Mr. Lafayette apparently played tennis with Don's father they knew each other from Lindenhurst (?) where Lou also from (his folks had a 7-Eleven and retired to one in Florida. Lou was usually watching the store). Mr. Trucello, the renowned music director at Newfield was "kicked upstairs" since his music programs went so well at Newfield. I got there just in time to see him leave. 1960 or so they wanted to give me a trumpet to play but my Dad worked nights then in Lindenhurst! So this guy played the "Flight of the Bumblebee" (by Russian general Rimsky-Korsakoff) on a clarinet and instead of the bassoon I wanted to play started out on a rental clarinet (they were out) from "Keyboard Corner" in Ronkonkoma now "Fretboard Corner" last I looked. The only kid however with a "liquorice stick" the rest of the clarinets were marching band metal chrome, I was a little embarrassed. I was waiting for Mr. Abrahms music lesson off stage when President Kennedy was shot and put my clarinet away and went back to the classroom after he was a no show. He played sax during WWII friendly guy, his mom sent him socks in a sax bell, he thought it was broken. Spitting a rice grain between your lips is how you sort of tongue the old reed instruments. My brother had one too, he played the alto clarinet a little smaller than a bass clarinet, and I then played alto sax, bass clarinet, and tenor sax in the school band with Albert and Margaret. Happy New Year! Gossip..."Metronomes" was the stage dance band at Newfield H.S. They needed more formal lessons like syncopation what's a syncopation? Saxophonist John Coltrane lived and composed in Huntington, on Long Island, nearby then. I hope they can preserve his house. I later got a B on Grade 5 (1-6?) State Competition music on a solo saxophone piece. Don got an A on Grade 6 tuba music and went away on a music scholarship.