>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

THE SOUND OF MUSIC:The Herrmann family (counter-clockwise from back) Mandie, Swannee Sr., Tom, Seth, Sarah, Elizabeth and Cathy practice "The Messiah" for Friday's concert. (Observer photos/CHRIS POTTER).

If music has the quality to bring strangers together as a family, then imagine the togetherness of a family of musicians.

The Herrmann family will be affording a rare opportunity to see them playing together Friday at the Eastern Oregon University Alumni Concert.

The Herrmanns plan on playing the well-known oratory "The Messiah" by George Frideric Handel. First played in 1742, the piece is probably best known by the song "Hallelujah." They will also be playing a prelude of various Christmas carols.

Tom and Swannee Sr. are parents of seven children. Swannee Jr. is 25 years old, Mandie 23, Sarah 20, Cathy 19, Seth also 19, Matt 16 and Elizabeth 13.

Tom and Swannee Sr. have been playing string instruments for over 40 years.

Swannee went to college at Washington State University where she mastered in violin performance. She also has a degree in music and dance. In 1970 she was the orchestra director at Eastern Oregon University. Currently she teaches music and ballet lessons in her own studio.

Tom went to college at EOU, where he played in the Grande Ronde Symphony. He then went to the University of Oregon to get his doctorate in physics. He is currently an associate professor of physics at EOU.

Swannee has taught her children how to play the violin since they were very young. She used the Suzuki method of teaching which starts with children as young as 2. Swannee started teaching her children at different ages, from 2 to 4, and decided that 4 is the best age to start.

In the Suzuki method "you narrow it down to the easiest things," said Swannee. This teaching style uses a variety of methods such as listening, movement and repetition in order to satisfy different learning modalities.

Tom and Swannee decided to teach their children the violin with the future in mind. Children who are involved in music are often more accomplished in other subjects as well, said Tom.

Swannee compares the time they spent to money saved for the future.

"If you put that money in when you are young, you have that to live on," said Swannee.

"It really develops them mentally."

Learning the violin is not an easy process.

"You can't play the violin in three months," said Swannee.

Tom and Swannee did not give their children a choice about the violin; they had to do it.

"I hated playing the violin," said Cathy. She remembers having to play a small piece of music 1,000 times in five days.

"You have to fight," said Mandie about learning the violin.

Mandie and Cathy both agree that the fight has paid off. Two months ago during a mission trip to Romania, Cathy had a breakthrough in her violin practice. While there, she noticed that not many people took music very seriously. When she returned home, she came with a new violin — and a new perspective.

"I was definitely a fanatic," said Cathy.

She realized that "there wasn't one way to learn the violin."

Mandie had a similar revelation during her junior year of high school.

"It (the violin) became mine," said Mandie.

"The battle ended!" said Swannee.

Not all of the Herrmanns have reached that point yet. Matt has been favoring the guitar to the violin. Elizabeth is still not sure about the violin.

"She is a version of what we were like," said Cathy.

Mandie and Cathy have no regrets about the long hours spent learning the violin.

"I learned how to stick with something and make it work," said Mandie

"It really was a gift."