A PERSONAL NEW MEXICO HISTORY
PAGE THIRTEEN
ENTRY: Fifth Grade, 1956-57
My memories of the fifth grade are rather sparse and vague. For that reason, I'm looking through the '57 yearbook as I write this; it's really helping to bring things back.
First of all, there's a picture of the fifth and sixth grade choir, and the caption reads that we received a first division rating at the State Music Festival. I'm sure that it should read "District" Music Festival, but that's beside the point. The point is, I don't remember the festival or the award; yet, there I am. . . smack dab in the middle of the picture, holding the plaque that we won. Does anyone in the group remember where the event was held. . . Hobbs, Roswell, etc.? Funny that I don't remember it.
I do, however, remember the
hours and hours of rehearsals. . . in Mrs. Recer's room and on the risers
on the stage in our new elementary gym-cafeteria-multi-purpose room. The
acoustics were definitely those of a gym. I remember the white, half-length
robes, designed to turn us into little angels. . . right !
The girls wore black skirts; the boys--bluejeans and black clip-on bow
ties. In the style of the day, all the boy's jeans were rolled up into
three and four inch cuffs. (This was my first pair of jeans---I've mentioned
before than my mom wouldn't let me wear jeans, just dress pants.) Most
of the girls wore barrettes in their hair; most of the guys---"Brylcreem".
(A little dab'll do ya.) Actually, a little dab was enough to grease the
suspension of a '57 Chevy, stain your pillowcase for six months, turn the
inside band of your baseball cap brown, and leave a deposit of something
that looked like rancid butter between the teeth of your comb. The ad's
jingle said the girls"loved to get their fingers in this stuff".
I think not.
I can't make out the guy standing next to me in the picture,
but the next two guys are Jimmy Mathis and Anthony Cass.
This picture was taken in 1957. Ten years later, in 1967, Jimmy and Anthony
would both die in the Vietnam War. I don't have any comment---it's all
been said, and it doesn't change anything---
I just wanted you to know what happened to these two cute little fifth-graders.
I remember some of the songs
we sang: Sweet Betsy From Pike,
On Top of Ol' Smokey, Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal (low bridge, everybody
down. . . low bridge, for we're comin' to a town) , and lots of patriotic
songs: America the Beautiful, My Country Tis of Thee, This is My Country,
and others. Does anyone else remember some of the other songs we performed?
When I think back on it, I'm really not surprised that we won the award,
'cause Mrs. Recer had to be one of the best elementary music teachers,
ever. She dubbed our prepubescent voices highs, middles, and lows. There
we were, fifth and sixth graders, (just under sixty voices strong) singing
two and three part harmony as easily as if we had been singing in unison
(which we hardly ever did, as I recall.) Not many elementary music programs,
past or present, can boast such an accomplishment. Do I seem to be bragging?
So be it. . . we were damn good !
And we owed it all to her.
She also made sure we were well
prepared for next year's sixth grade beginning band. Remember the tonettes?
(Those awful black plastic flute-like things. And if you didn't have your
own, you got to use one that belonged to the school and had been soaked
in some kind of disgusting disinfectant) God, how do you suppose she stood
the sound of a roomful of tonettes? In the beginning, that must have been
the equivalent of trying to make music with about fifty kids blowing on
coke bottles ! Think about it ! Somehow, she succeeded, 'cause by the time
George Hill got us in sixth grade band, we could already read music (pitches
and rhythms), we knew the basic fingerings for woodwind
instruments, and we had experienced ensemble performance. . . of a sort.
Corrinne Recer really did her job well !
On the same yearbook page is
a picture of the high-school mixed chorus, which also received a First
Division Rating.
Upon close inspection of this picture and caption, however,
one notices something a little out of the ordinary.
Yes, that's Coach Jack McEwen on the back row (center) and
English teacher Mrs. Iris Roberts on the end.
Hmmmmmmmmmm. . . . . can some of you older exes tell me
what was going on here.? Did these two teachers just like to sing? Did
they also participate in the District Music Festival? Probably not. I think
it's great, faculty members helping out with student organizations---it's
just that I've never seen anything like it before. . . or since.
Also on this two-page spread
are pictures of the Girls' Choir, Girls' Sextet, Girls' Quartet, even a
Boys' Ensemble and a tiny little picture of a twenty-eight piece group
at the Xmas program, arranged on risers in the shape of a tree. It's impossible
to make
out any of the people, but the one at the top has a star behind
his/her head. Does anyone know who that person is?
Some day soon, I plan to upgrade my computer with more hard-drive space. At that time, I'll be able to start playing with some of these pictures so that I can show them to you , instead of just telling you about them.
Hmmmmmmmm. . . . .won't that
be fun? I'll also be accepting bribes NOT to put any of YOUR
pictures on the net.
Blackmail? No ! Just think of it as financing for my new hard drive.
These pictures, by the way, are very small. If you ever have a chance to view the '57 yearbook, trust me. . . you'll need a magnifying glass. . . especially if you were alive in 1957. How many of you now wear bifocals? I have the "progressive" kind. I think that means that they cause my eyes to get progressively worse, so that I require a progressively stronger pair the following year.
Jeeze, all this rambling over
just two pages of the yearbook.
I guess we'll still be exploring more of the '57 annual next time.
(Copyright 1998, by Jalfalfa)