Music: A Constant and a Connection

by Deborah Van Kleef

Music has been a constant in my life from the beginning. I was exposed to classical, folk, and music theater on records and the radio, as well as in my father's singing. When I was two, my parents gave me my own little record player and a collection of children's 78s. Years later they told me that I demanded to listen daily. My favorite part of day camp was group singing on the bus in the morning and late afternoon.

I began playing flute at age nine and studied with a Cleveland Orchestra member during high school and in my college wind performance program (while obtaining a degree in English literature). I was drawn to folk music from an early age, and eventually I took up Appalachian dulcimer, penny whistle, and guitar.

In my thirties I set aside the flute to focus on singing. I performed for thirty years, mostly at peace and justice events, using music to create a sense of unity among people fighting for a better world.

I also worked with children as an artist-in-residence, camp counselor, and guitar and ukulele teacher. My hope was to communicate two ideas: “Music is something you do, not something you buy,” and “American music is a treasure that belongs to you.”

When I retired in 2023 I took up flute again—after a thirty-year hiatus. I study with a wonderful teacher and currently play with the Settlement Adult Orchestra and in Mix and Mingle, as well as for contra and English country dances. Adult Orchestra has given me an opportunity to ease back into flute in a warm and supportive setting. There, and in Mix and Mingle ensembles, I enjoy working on becoming a better ensemble player.

I love participating in the Old Time jams, where I can focus on providing a steady guitar accompaniment to the melodies played on fiddle and banjo, and occasionally I lead a song.

These Settlement programs nourish my music and provide community. My husband and I attend as many concerts as we can.

After seven decades, music still brings me joy, connecting me to my own history, to the generations who preceded me, and to those who will follow.

Share Your Music Story

We all need stories that move us. To help others recall their own stories and inspire them to share those stories. We need stories to invite others into our community of people transformed by the power of music. What is your music story? How has music changed you?

Share Your Music Story