School Days and Music

School parade

That Millie was a good student is evidenced by the books on our shelves that were presented to her at the end of the year during grade school for her work and attendance.

She remembers, "Janet Shoemaker and I went to Washington DC with Mr Shoemaker after we graduated from grade school in 1927. We were on our own every day and walked! walked! walked! Even walked up the Washington Monument." 








She graduated from Bernards Highschool (Bernardsville, NJ) in 1931 one of the few students who had taken a college prep course.  

Musicians

A talented musician, as a teenager she attended the Institute of Musical Art when Frank Damrosch (brother of Walter) was in charge. In 1926 it merged with the newly founded Julliard School of Music.  However, when the stock market crashed her older brother lost his job and her father said he couldn't keep both of them and insisted she give it up.

In later life, Millie reminisced, " The Chapmans seemed to be a musical family, I believe they all sang or played the piano and had musical evenings.  My father played the piano and could improvise after hearing just a few notes of something.

When I was about 5, one evening we visited friends of Aunt Millie who lived a couple of blocks away.  Aunt Millie played the piano and I sang, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny".  In later years I never sang at home -- too self-conscious in front of my parents, but I sang in several musicals in town in front of lots of people. Aren't people strange?"

Millie's son Greg remembers his father teasing her about her playing one day, and for years after she refused to play with anyone around.  But eventually he encouraged her to tape herself at least.  While living at Woodside Terrace she did play for sing alongs.  I never heard her really sing until I found the following recording.  If this is what she could do with arthritic fingers, imagine her playing in her heydey!!!

Millicent Chapman Trindle @1990  (age 77+)


History of Julliard