“The older boys, if you got a chance to dance with them your heart would pound and pitter patter all over the place- or mine did, ‘cause I was a silly, silly teenager.”
Photo courtesy of Gwen May and the Swan's Island Historical Society, circa 1960.
What is the soundtrack to your life? Did it start with lullabies or church hymns? Was there swing music or rock n’ roll? Did anyone teach you to waltz? Was there someone in your family who played an instrument?
Music plays a big role in our memories. The way we listen to music may be changing, but the effect music has on our memories is still a powerful tool to go back in time to replay the scenes of a life story.
On April 21 I’ll be giving a short presentation on the Musical History of Swan’s Island at the Rockland Historical Society. We’ll be time traveling across the decades in step with the waltz and contra dancing.
Scroll back up and take a listen to Record Hops, one of the audio stories from this talk (it's less than 3 min). Here is Gwen May remembering her days of poodle skirts, romance, rock n' roll, and record hops.
When: Tuesday, April 21, at 6:30pm
Where: Rockland Historical Society (the lower floor of the Rockland Library)
Cost: Free
There will be refreshments served afterward.
Maybe this dance down memory lane has sparked your own musical memories. What music made up the soundtrack of your younger days? Feel free to share in the comment section below.
A Musical History of Swan's Island, a presentation by former Island Fellow Meghan Vigeant, will feature songs, stories and photos from the Swan's Island Memory Project.