Helen's Media Experiences

For Helen, recorded music and radio provided deep connections to her family. Her earliest experience with recorded music was listening to Irish dance music and Ballads with her two sisters and her parents. The whole family would gather around their wind-up Victrola (pictured below) in their living room to listen. Often her father would move the furniture out of the way so that they could waltz, foxtrot, quick step, and learn traditional Irish dances to the music. Her father would also often play the violin and accordion for the family. Helen's family also often listened to records from John McCormack and Enrique Caruso. Provided by Helen Sheehan At church dances Helen loved to dance to the Jitterbug with friends. She also remembers going to Sunday night Summer concerts in a park near her house often as she was growing up. As time passed, she gained confidence to dance more in public due to encouragement from her father and her friends. Nowadays, Helen listens to downloaded ...