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Alice Person, "Not My Daughter, Oh No!", ed. by Louise Stephe 1971

Text from Typed Script

[Page 53]

While my music has met with most favorable reception among teachers and judges of music, it is amusing to note the expression of many who really enjoy the pieces, but are afraid of compromising

[Page 54]

their musical dignity and intelligence by acknowledging it.

A case in point occurs to me, where I submitted my music to a teacher for examination, who had a large class in Spartanburg, S. C., and one who was regarded as one of the leading teachers in the city. She was sick and I could not see her, but she sent me a list of her pupils, with her permission to call on them with my music, as she had seen it before and was familiar with it. I called at the first name given and played the pieces for the pupil's mother. She was aghast with amazement that ''my daughter's" teacher should have sent that kind of music here for "my daughter" to play! "She plays classic music and standard music, and I really cannot think that her teacher should have meant for her to play this kind of music! "The Boatman Dance"! "Walk Around"! "No, no, there must be some mistake. 'My daughter' wouldn't play that kind of music. Oh no!"

So I came off minus the dollar, but with its worth in something else.

As we journey on we find it is really necessary to have all kinds of people to make up this grand old world of ours. Were it not so, where would the laugh come in?

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Citation: Person, Alice. “Not My Daughter, Oh No!” 53-54 in “Banny’s Book.” Edited and compiled by Louise Stephenson. Raleigh, 1971 (typescript of “The Chivalry of Man, As Exemplified in the Life of Mrs. Joe Person,” [1890?]).
Location: Music Special Collections, Music Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 USA
Call Number:ML410.P317 A3 1971   Display Catalog Record
 

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