My First Musical Inspirational Influence

Lyric Montgomery was an inspiration to me when I was young. Born to David and Lynn Montgomery, the oldest of 6 kids, Lyric was a dedicated music student and role model for me. She allowed me, albeit sometimes unwillingly, to be the little tag-along sister in the majority of her musical endeavors. My first musical memory of her was trying to teach me, a kindergartener, how to play the recorder. Her patience was short as I tried clumsily to wrap my fingers onto the appropriate holes. I still have my first recorder and play around with Baroque arrangements on it. Then when she entered sixth grade, she chose to play the French Horn having been advised it was the hardest instrument to play. She played with the Murray Symphony beginning at age 14. She brought home tapes of the King’s Singers that we listened to going to sleep, (I still love listening to them!). She introduced me to The Nylons, Mannheim Steamroller, and the Blue Devils. She let me tag along to follow after her and the Lagoon Show Band.

But one of the most pivotal moments in my life was when I went to her first All-State Band performance when I was in middle school. It was there that I heard a large-scale choir, live, at the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. I enjoyed the band, but I was entranced by the choir! I immediately was in love! I determined right then and there that somehow I was going to be in that choir! I had no idea how to go about it, but that was for me! I joined the 8th grade choir where the teacher was a little bit crazy and overboard, but he had a driving passion for music and introduced us to madrigals and other challenging music that captured my heart. I did make it into the All-State Choir, my first year being the sole representative from my high school. By my senior year, the majority of my high school choir attended it.

The rest is history of where I am today. I’m not sure where I would have discovered my passion for choral music if I had not been allowed to be the pesky little sister. I will always be grateful to my older sister for her example of hard work, inspirational talent, and a passion for music outside of the mainstream radio genres popular with our peers. My world was opened and changed forever due to her direct influence.