After my audition with Dr. Moldenhauer, he accepted me as a student, and we got to work. I had lessons very often - much more than the usual one per week - and he never charged my parents for the extra time. He was an amazing pedagogue; requiring much devotion to the study of music in general.. so that intellectually I became very conversant with the history of music and music theory. He would quiz me on certain topics, to make sure I had learned what was assigned. He lived and breathed music, as did Rosaleen, his wife....together they made a formidable team. Not a moment was wasted in their lives; they made a point of playing tennis in the early morning, followed by a walk, then breakfast. Sometimes I stayed at their home, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Conversations were peppered with salient facts about certain composers and works; there was always something to remember, or questions to be asked and answered. They wanted me to move in with them completely, as he thought I should be immersed in the world of music at all times. My mother, however, had a different idea, and wasn't about to allow her daughter to be 'adopted,' as it were. However, when I had my lessons at their home (not at the conservatory like the other students), I would always stay for dinner, and thus be exposed to more instruction, quizzes, and much story-telling. It was about this time that he became afflicted with a devastating eye condition, which caused partial blindness at first. Because there was no way to reverse this, he studied every minute that he wasn't teaching - staying up all night to read and memorizing everything possible, while he could still see. The condition worsened, and Rosaleen always had to drive him everywhere, as he developed 'tunnel vision' which didn't allow for driving a car. She became his eyes. But he never complained - just accepted the fact of what was. He was an altogether extraordinary man.
During these years, I entered many competitions in the Greater Spokane Music Festival - and won them all. It became a common occurrence to see my name in the paper. I also began studying voice and tap dancing (which was a lot of fun for me). In addition, I became a member of a Triple Trio, called the 'Rainbow Girls' - because we wore beautiful dresses made in the same style, and in all colors of the rainbow. (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, plus white and black) Our group used to appear on television often, and in various venues in the city. There was a television competition called "Starlit Stairway," which I won numerous times for my piano performances. When I was 14, a national competition (whose headquarters were based in NYC) held auditions for musical acts from all the Western States, and then the finals at the Spokane Coliseum, a large sports arena that held about 15,000 - 20,000 people. I auditioned for this event, and was one of the 25 acts selected. (It was called the "Ted Mack Amateur Hour" -- a forerunner of the Ed Sullivan Show). My entire high school attended to support me, and the place was packed - other high schools also came (a Spokane girl, [me], was one of the finalists!) I won second place in this contest - which included money, and a scholarship to Tanglewood, a prestigious music camp that convened in the summertime. The entire experience was so exciting for me; I wasn't one bit nervous to play in front of all those people. (Large crowds are always easier than small, intimate gatherings.) The money was nice, but the important prize was Tanglewood. However, that was not to be. Mother wouldn't hear of allowing me to travel by myself, even with a chaperone (which the sponsors would provide) and be someplace unknown to her! Oh no! That was out of the question. I was bitterly disappointed and very upset with her for this. (I now understand her reasoning, but then I was absolutely devastated.) So I began a campaign designed to persuade mother to allow me to enroll in the Eastman School of Music after my graduation from high school. I thought that my parents couldn't possibly object to my enrollment in a noted music school like Eastman (which was part of the University of Rochester) where I would get a degree from a university, and not just a diploma. Also there were dormitories connected to Eastman, which was a plus for anxious parents (unlike Juilliard, which had no such facility. Students had to live in an apartment, with a roommate, of course, but in New York City. They would NEVER have allowed that.) I wrote on a piece of paper that I was going to go to Eastman, and put it on my mirror. so it could be seen every day. (I have often done this - it is a way of affirming what it is I wanted and intended to do...and is a very powerful tool.)
Perhaps I should mention here that my younger brother, John, (who, remember, was told he could not study music professionally), was about to enter high school, and was considered a top student, thank goodness. He had his share of honors, to be sure, also studying the piano with me plus playing the clarinet in the band. However, watching his older sister getting constant acclaim, must have been, at times, hard to swallow. We had a close relationship growing up, and played consistently together. Between the two of us, we had a huge quantity of stuffed animals, which we endowed with certain personality traits, and constructed scenarios including a daily soap opera dialogue. This was so much fun - our parents could scarcely believe that we would spend hours building a store, a circus in the garage, and whatever else as a backdrop for our little stuffed ones. I also used to place them all around the piano and then play for them, pretending they were a 'live' audience applauding me. John assisted in the fantasy, of course. I remember the day when I 'decided' that I was too old for such things any more, and my brother was so upset. He wasn't finished with it yet, so I continued to participate in the daily 'drama' to mollify him. To this day, I still have a large collection of stuffed animals - and have fond memories of the stories we concocted and the names of the characters!
A very interesting chilhood.
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