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i ] "A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, December 30, 1998 - 5 The Music Man Port Perry man has large collection of instruments By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star For over 50 years Irvin Gibson has been collecting musical instruments. He's so well known for his collection of more than 40 pieces that when the Scugog Choral Society put on the musical Music Man a few years ago, all the instruments used on stage were bor- rowed from Port Perry's own music man. Singing has also been a big part of Mr. Gibson's life. Currently singing with the Oshawa GM and Port Perry United Church choirs, he has performed with the Scugog Choral Society, Scugog Historical Choir and other choruses. His love affair with music began as a kid of 6, when he started taking piano lessons. In his teens Mr. Gibson took "vocal lessons from Belle McBrien of Brooklin, a retired teacher from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Later, when his voice changed, he began singing bass. He has been singing bass or baritone ever since. While most of the instruments Mr. Gibson collects are either very unique or obsolete, he estimates his oldest instruments, a violin and a flute, are 200 years old. The E Flat horn he bought 10 years ago belonged to Bruce Snelgrove, a member of the original brass band in Port Perry. The cow.hide-covered bass drum Mr. Gibson bought 25 years ago was old then, he says. His collection -- which includes wood- en flutes, guitars, banjos, ukuleles, vio- lins, trombones, drums, clarinet, saxo- phone and a mandolin -- are his pride and joy. And that's not to mention his mouth organs and an assortment of jaw harps, which each have their own unique sound. A self-taught musician, Mr. Gibson can chord and sing with every instru- ment in his collection. He does repairs, too. "I used to think any instrument wasn't any good if it couldn't play," he said. "So, I'd have the nerve to take them apart and put them back together again. I've put necks on violins, pads on saxo- phones and clarinets, and heads on drums and banjos." Besides the instrument collection, Mr. Gibson also has a vast accumulation of sheet music from the war years and up. Fifty years of music lies in his music room, he reckons. "Music is my hobby. It's a passion. Without it, I don't know what I would have done," he said. And to be sure his diversion wouldn't distract the rest of the family, he had his music room sound- proofed. "No one-can hear me when I'm down here practicing or tinkering away on a new instrument." Retired from GM, Mr. Gibson now sings with the company choir and the Port Perry United Church chorus. He also does "the odd solo, too". Mr. Gibson has often played at the ES Irvin Gibson" Ss life-long love affair with music has led him to collect dozens of instruments, and a room full of sheet music. Scugog Shores Museum and at Ocala Winery during their open houses. He's already lined up to sing at Pioneer Days at Haugen's Restaurant next fall. PORT PERRY DENTAL OFFICE OPEN: Tues.-Sat. 9:30 - 5:30 or by appt. ie an's at. Expe, ie INSURANCE ASSIGNMENT ACCEPTED " EVENING APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE (WE COLLECT FROM INSURANCE COMPANIES) Il DENTISTRY WHILE YOU SLEEP - B GENERAL ANAESTHESIA AVAILABLE ~~ EPAYMENT PLANS ARRANGED EM SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNT NEW PATIENTS WELCOME bast a BLE ZS, 462 PAXTON ST. (ACROSS FROM PORT PERRY HOSPITAL) DIB ON ORG(O 108 NEI ADEN ONY IY | JAMES R. YANCH TRUSTEE IN BANKRUPTCY ADMINISTRATOR Stonemoor Day Care Centres Inc. RUDE QIU II IC KUNE LUN RL REIN Ho DURHAM DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Registration for Junior and Senior Kindergarten and Grade One French Immersion Junior and Senior Kindergarten Registration for September 1999 Telephone pre-registration for Durham District School Board Junior and Senior Kindergarten programs for September 1999 will begin Tuesday, January 12, 1999, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Children eligible for Junior Kindergarten programs must be four (4) years of age by December 31, 1999. Children eligible for Senior Kindergarten programs must be five (8) years of age by December 31, 1999. If the number of children pre-registered for Junior or Senior Kindergarten exceeds the accepted class limit, some students may be bused to another school. 122 Albert St. 721-7506 619-1473 (00) :{0]0) :{¢] 72 King St. W. 372-4744 Cay & Evening Appointments Available IASI NN VO 0)\ (10) MEY) (0) 50 mT, Ave. Openings now available for all ages gioneioor Registration accepted for all ol ages 3 F ? Gare Geant? Open 6:30am to 6:00pm Call Karen for more info 985-0800 Cartwright Central P.8. .................... 086-4227 Greenbank/Epsom P.S. ..................... 986-2687 Prince Albert P.8. ............................. 0988-2877 RH. Cornish P.8. ............................. 9868-4468 S.A. Cawker P.8. .............................. 088-4491 Grade One French Immersion Registration for September 1999 The Durham District School Board offers at no additional charge to parents a French Immersion program for non-Francophone students, at R.H. Cornish P.8. beginning in grade one. An information meeting on the program will be held at the school on Please contact the school for further information. Wednesday, January 27, 1999 beginning at 7:00 p.m.