My sixth grade chorus teacher, Mrs. B., once asked the class to write down songs they'd like to hear her play on the piano. I was surprised when one student requested "Stardust" by Artie Shaw. Thanks to my interest in jazz from a young age, I'd heard of that song but wasn't familiar with the melody offhand.
"That's an old song," she told the student. "I'm curious to know how you know it."
I don't remember the student's answer, but a parent's--or more likely, a grandparent's--influence probably led him to request that song. It was unusual, to say the least, for a sixth grade student in 1982 to request "Stardust." At the time, I thought, "Requesting 'Stardust' or any Artie Shaw tune at age 11 shows an open mind when it comes to music."
Eleven years later, someone else left a similarly open-minded impression.
