The Byrd Family Band
Wild Card
My portfolio has been focused primarily on the Deines’, my mother’s side of the family. However, my dad’s side of the family is just as influential in my life. For my wild card, I want to talk about the Byrd side of the family and our love for music. This will also be a sort of photo gallery, with many pictures of my family performing and playing music.
In the living room of my Granny and Grandpa’s small farm house sits a large upright piano that has been collecting dust for years. It is hardly ever played, but every time I visit, I sit and play songs from their old hymnal. I could sit there for hours repeating “Joy to the World” over and over again, though I am sure the rest of my family becomes tired of the repetition. However, I think they also enjoy the music, acting as a background soundtrack to their everyday tasks.
Most of the members of my family are musically inclined; my grandpa was in marching band, then my dad, then me. I do not think I would have participated in band for as long as I did, had it not been for the legacy I was following. My dad attended the same high school as me- Effingham County High School- and was in the Rebel Regiment Marching Band. My band director when I was in school knew my dad when they were in high school.
My grandpa played saxophone in high school, and now he can play saxophone, piano, and accordion. One of my favorite childhood traditions is my grandpa playing his accordion on every birthday. My dad can kind of play piano, and he played trumpet and sousaphone in high school. He still has his trumpet, and will play it every now and then. He inspired my sister to begin playing trumpet, and eventually french horn. One story that always comes to mind when I think of my grandpa is a story he told me about his time in high school band: he said that during one of their half time shows — it was “James Bond” themed — a helicopter flew in and landed on the football field. Of course, I did not believe him for a second, yet he continued telling the story many times after. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school when he found an article that he had scanned into his computer proving his story.
I learned piano when I was a child, though I would not say I am “fluent”. I started playing flute when I was in sixth grade, and I have played it for eight years now. I have also grown up loving to sing, as well as other members of my family.
The musical gene is most centralized on the Byrd side of the family, though the Deines side does have an appreciation for it. My aunt Anja taught me piano when I was a kid, and my entire family enjoys singing in church. Me and my opa sing in the choir. When I was in high school, they were always in the stands cheering me on at band competitions; however, I believe my passion for music has been influenced more by my dad and his father.
