Music – Week 13 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Music Intertwined With Life

There is a distinct relationship that ties music to emotions and memory. It touches our soul and adds to the quality of our life.

Family Musical Fun

My husband, Gary Coble, is a musician and music educator. It is a huge part of who he is.

It was only natural that Gary would make music his life’s work. Gary’s mother, Georgene, says that when Gary and his brothers and sister were little they often would sing their conversations. Gary began playing drums when he was ten. All through school, he played in every band available. He was a music major in college and went on to have a distinguished 35 year career as an instrumental music teacher and director. (He also taught choir for a couple of years when he lived in Wyoming.)

In college he began playing in a band on weekends. When he taught in South Dakota and Wyoming, he continued playing on weekends. His band, Prairie Fire, developed quite an impressive reputation and his band mates became lifelong friends.

While living in Palm Springs, Gary was the principal percussionist with the Desert Symphony for 15 years. He had the wonderful opportunity to play with other talented professional musicians and has played with several guest artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Andy Williams, Trini Lopez, and Glen Campbell.

When we retired, one reason we chose to move to North Las Vegas was because we wanted to take advantage of all the entertainment opportunities available. Between December 2017 and the beginning of the COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020 we saw 31 shows. We’ve availed ourselves of the eclectic offerings and have seen Barry Manilow, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, KISS, Lion King, Toby Keith, ZZ Top and everything in between. We are definitely looking forward to seeing many more artists, musical groups, and theatre productions.

One can learn much about a society and its culture by listening to the music of that time period. Culture is “learned and shared behavior.” Music reflects this shared life experience and historically provides insight into the time period and the values of people as they express themselves. The emotional impact is undeniable. Music often becomes part of a person’s identify.

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When I was getting my MLIS (Masters in Library and Information Science), one of my requirements was to collaborate with a colleague and create a research project for students. Gary was my obvious choice for a creative collaboration.

One of Gary’s philosophical truths was “Fine Arts are the true chronicles of a society.” This became the basis for our collaborative project which became the DSMS Cultural Museum of the Arts. (This project was so successful that not only did we have students present at a state technology conference in Sacramento, but Gary and I were selected to present this project at CSLA (California School Library Association conference).

Working in groups, students selected a period from history and a fine art. Their research and subsequent projects demonstrated how the music (or other fine art) both reflected and impacted society. The students then created slide presentations with music to share their discoveries and conclusions. It was truly amazing to see the in-depth knowledge these students were able to impart as well as the sophistication of their projects.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato

Take time today to enjoy your music in whatever form it takes. Let the music feed your soul.