I reminisced with Mom recently about the time she had been the accompanist for my post-secondary music program auditions.

“It was a classical piece for marimba, and you played the piano accompaniment,” I said. “Remember?”

After high school I had auditioned for music programs at York University, University of Toronto and Humber College.

“Did I?” my Mom, Sheila, replied. She was going through some health troubles complicated by the lockdown and her memory was not good.

“Yes, it was a lovely piece but I can’t remember the composer.  You waited patiently while I performed the other pieces. I played timpani, snare drum, vibraphone and then you joined me for the marimba piece.”

“Well it’s nice to be reminded about these things,” my Mom said.  “I am glad I could help.” I went on to recall how far she had pursued piano — up to Grade 10 Conservatory performance and then beyond with the Grade 10 theory and music history studies.

I remember Mom taking the same diligent approach to her music history studies as she did to a complicated piece on the piano.  She was well prepared, so could play a piece beautifully, and pass a tough exam.  We heard her play piano in church when we were kids, accompanying the hymn sings in the Sunday School.  When Nadine and I were married, Mom played a piece for us at our reception.

Mom had her hands full as the parent of three kids but still found time for her music. She taught me some piano basics when I was a little kid but also realized I had a passion for percussion. So when I was about 10 or 11 she found me a great teacher, Glenn Price, after spotting a classified ad in the weekly Don Mills paper. She encouraged me to take lessons.

Our Dad, Douglas, was not a musician but had a strong tenor singing voice and sure vocal pitch from his school days in the UK. He quietly encouraged of all of our activities, including music, driving us to practices and coming to watch us play music or sports.

Looking back, I know I was a bit blasé, more likely sheepish, about my Mom joining me for my music auditions in my late teens. Now as a parent myself, I realize what it must have taken for her to do it. I was eager at that time to get into music school and she was on the line to help me. And she came through for me.

I was accepted by both York and Humber, and chose Humber for its focus on jazz and modern music. I did not stick with music as a study path or career but was proud to be accepted into, and briefly experience, a top music program.

I recall hearing my North York Percussion Ensemble friend Tony go into the audition before me and blow the doors off the drum kit, sending some sweat down my back as I listened in the hallway.  Among more than 100 drummer applicants, Tony and I got two of a handful (maybe 10?) drumming spots in that first-year class. Humber also knew that both of us had played the gamut of percussion instruments as members of the percussion ensemble.

Mom’s memories of those times are a bit foggy, but she feels better knowing these things when I fill in the gaps. One of the problems with memory loss is you may lose the knowledge of your own talents and accomplishments.

Mom was facing some major surgery at Toronto General Hospital recently. During the lockdown and her hospital stay before the surgery, we kept in touch with her by phone and were able to visit in person just once for a health consultation.

Music was a fond and familiar topic. I asked her a few questions about what music meant to her:

You had a piano teacher early on, nicknamed “Lemp” who was an inspiration for you. Can you tell me more about her and why she inspired you?

Miss Lempriere was the piano teacher at my boarding school, Claremont, in Esher, Surrey. She was always very well dressed and had a beautiful smile. She would have been in her late 20s. She gave me weekly lessons in the drawing room on a beautiful grand piano.

I had taken piano lessons before I went to Claremont, but Lemp and I had a good connection; we seemed to understand each other. She was not too demanding, but she would start the lesson by playing the piece I was learning.  I heard the piece the way it should be played. And so I would make sure to practice.  There were two smaller practice rooms there with upright pianos. When I played at my lesson, Lemp would tell me which sections to practice more for the next lesson.

While we were away from home at boarding school, our families would visit on occasion and the children were allowed to come out on the front steps, watch for their parents to come, and wave to greet them. I was at Claremont through high school into what was called Upper 5th, which had an exam and would allow me to qualify to apply for a job.

Your Mom, Ruth Henwood, was an excellent pianist and seemed to easily sight-read and play different forms of music. 

I can’t remember a piano in our home but she must have started me on lessons near our home. My mother also sang in choirs.

Who is your favourite composer and why?

Beethoven creates changing moods in his compositions. An example is the Sonata Pathetique, where a theme is developed through different movements. There are changes from major to minor keys, and changes of feeling.

I also enjoy Mozart’s music for its expression and sometimes light-heartedness.  You can listen to it and imagine running along a hillside in the summer.

You played the Sonata Pathetique and some of your other favourites when you were at the Toronto Rehab Institute recently. [Your daughter] Louise brought your music there.

I still love playing. They had a piano in a kind of kitchen area there. I did have a few nice comments from people who listened from the hallway.

After you came to Canada, you pursued the Royal Conservatory piano studies as an adult. You achieved Grade 10 in performance.

I am glad you can remind me of these things. I also enjoyed the music history.  Perhaps the history more than the theory, although both are important.

Thanks Mom for these music memories.