Without even knowing it, Mom did all the right things to make a singer's brain/ear/voice. When she was pregnant, she played classical instrumental music with the radio to her belly and sang a lot around the house. As a little child I remember beautiful instrumental music was always playing in the house from classical to Muzak and she was always singing, humming, whistling, or chanting little hand action songs, or singing hymns. She would rock me and sing me to sleep in the maple rocker for my afternoon nap as a toddler. By the time I was three years old, I could not only sing long, rangy, songs in tune but hold my own part in a 3 way round! And I had my own portable record player and a stack of kids records to take in the car on long drives when I was 7! Piano lessons started at 9. One of my first memories in life was when I was at 3 years old, Easter Sunday morning, on the church platform to sing "Lo, in the Grave He Lay." With about 200 people starring me in the face, what does a shy little girl do? I lifted my dress high over my head at which point my mother rushed to the platform, waving her hands and with a loud whisper said, "Put your dress down and SING!" So my first lesson in singing was how to keep my dress down when I sing in public. I looked at the organist and said, "OK, I'm ready now" and the rest is history. Thanks Mom for the love of music and the musical brain you installed! I know you are singing in that heavenly choir now. Love you Mom.