Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2000)
when his parents forced him to sing in church choirs. “I didn’t like it at the time, but 1 thank them for it now,” Mount said, laugh ing. While his peers were making their Gl-Joes fight each other with guns, Mount was cutting out pictures of electric guitars from Sears and Roebuck catalogs and arranging his Gl-Joes to play in SHELBI WESCOTT a band. Feature Editor Electric guitar was his instru David Mount, Clackamas En ment of choice during his high glish instructor, opens a worn school years, much to his par case and exposes two delicate ents' dismay, and he remembers fiddles. He gently pulls one from the instant approval from his peers because its quiet resting he was in “a place and fingers rock band.” the bow with his What I love most “ I right hand, while never did get holding the in is the sheer sound any dates strument in his of an instrument. though,” he left. laughs. Then, his fin When gers begin to fly, David Mount Mount went to moving up and English Instructor college, he in down the frets - tended to be a his face distant professional with careful con centration. Fiddle music fills his musician. “The saddest day in my mom ’ s tiny office in Streeter Hall and I am immediately transported into life was when I dropped out of college to pursue a music career,” another time and place. Suddenly, I am not in an office he said. anymore...I’m not at school any Mount played clubs up and more. I’m sitting on a porch, some down the Sunset Strip in Holly where in the mid-west. The setting wood and soon is reminiscent of a Mark Twain realized that he novel; boys in overalls sit with didn’t want to their shoeless feet dahgling off the spend the rest railing; girls in long dresses are tap of his life trying ping their feet to the addicting to make people interested in his rhythm of the music. Just as quickly as it began, the music. He changed music stops and I’m back at Clackamas in an office by the his direction to teaching and yet never lost his parking lot. “What I love the most,” musical focus. Even while work Mount says, putting his fiddle ing on his Ph.D. at UCLA, Mount back into its case, “is the sheer could be found over at the music department, playing instruments sound of an instrument.” Starting spring term, Mount with fpiends. As Mount got older, his taste will be teaching a music and lit erature class (EN-299) where he changed from rock and roll into will be combining his passion for more old-time music with his knowledge of lit music. During a trip to England, erature. “We may start with a story and he became then listen to some music that re enamoured with lates to the story somehow. We the sound of the will free-write to music and have Viola De Gamba guest speakers come in and share and knew he their knowledge,” Mount ex wanted to learn to play it. plained. Students don’t need to worry Instead of play about a lack of musical knowl ing contempo edge; the musical focus will be rary viola music, more intuitive than technical. Mount re “We will try to educate each searched the his other on what we know,” Mount torical music and said. “1 hope students will add learned to play their knowledge of contemporary sheet music from the 17th Century. music to the discussions.” It is his incred The class was the creation of Mount who wanted a way to use ible passion for his first love, music, as a teach music, historical and otherwise, ing tool in his literature classes. that makes him the perfect can Many stories throughout time didate for teaching the new Mu have a musical background and sic and Literature class. Students many musicians have used mu can expect to become immersed sic as a way to put poems and in a different world of music and stories into a universal language. words combined as one. “Music and Literature...it’s just Mount’s own musical back ground dates back to childhood one language to another.” Theeight-year English instructor will usehis knowledge ofthe music world m his teaching next term go lw V ; figs ' > Ai À'- I 23 J 1 1il■1III I - ¿ sir® ms David Mount plays a Viola de gamba and strums on his banjo. The English instructor will teach a new class at Clackamas next term—EN-299. The course will combine Mount's passion for music with his knowledge of literature. He feels that the musical focus will be more intuitive rather than technical knowledge. PHOTOS BY SHELBI WESCOTT I Clackamas Print
