Music has universal appeal and connects a community in many ways. “There’s always a guitar player around to jam with,” said local musician Joe Hall.
Trio treasures musical ties
1, 2, 3, 4 … every song has a beat, a cadence — and everyone can find it — from a stubborn old lady down to an energetic little boy dancing with all of his might.
Holyoke is lucky to have many prevalent citizens to keep the beat going. Three well-known community members — a minister, a former music teacher and a professional musician — weigh in on the impact music has had on their lives.
Pastor Sharon Strauss, former music teacher Pat Wiebers and professional musician Joe Hall share their love of music in various roles in the community.
Strauss remembers fondly the musical memories of her youth. She comes from a musical family and has felt the pull of music all of her life. In fact, her family has audio tapes of her singing since she was 4 years old. These recollections have certainly influenced her views toward the importance of music in childhood.
As a very involved member of the Music Parents Association, Strauss will be the first to say that music fills an important role of giving students a place to fit in, and a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Playing a song in band or singing a song in choir is like putting together a puzzle — every part fits in, but it takes all of the pieces together to form something beautiful.
Strauss said, “There’s room for everyone in music.” Her enjoyment of music did not end when her high school days did. She said it herself, music is a lifelong pleasure. Nowadays, Strauss enjoys playing piano with all the high school and in late March was able to serve as an accompanist for the Holyoke Honor Band performance, another example of the power of music to bring people together.
Her favorite experience with the unity that music can bring comes from ministering at the nursing home. With a smile, she tells that when it comes time to sing, folks from all kinds of religions will sing along to those old hymns. It doesn’t matter if they’re Methodist or Catholic or Baptist, they all know the words and are excited to sing along.
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