Image provided by: Friends of the Sandy Public Library; Sandy, OR
About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1978)
1 jT £ JK j1 * % * I f f * , SINCE HIS music program was destroyed, Tim McCarthy holds class wherever he can. including the library. There’s m usic on the m ountain During the week, Tim McCarthy teaches music to kindergarten through eighth grade students at Welches Elementary School. During weekends, the 26-year-old wears the hat of an entertainer. And the songs he sings are often about his mountain home. McCarthy leads a three member band named for what he says has been his most popular song yet—“ Wildwood U S A .” “We get requests for that song all night long," said McCarthy of the group currently playing Friday and Saturday nights at the Zigzag Inn. Also in the group is the 16-year-old son of Welches teacher Nancy Dougherty, Tom, who plays the drums, and a former student of M cCarthy’s, Todd Sears from Gladstone, who handles the bass guitar. The song ‘‘Wildwood U S A.” is also a top request from his students at Welches Grade School. “ My parents live up here,” McCarthy explained of his enthusiasm for Wildwood. “ Everytime we d visit up here I'd always go back to Portland wishing I was up here too.” Opportunity knocked at Welches, and McCarthy answered. This is his first year of teaching at the mountain school, coming to the district after teaching at Gladstone and LaSalle high schools. “ I enjoy both,” said McCarthy of his experiences with both high school and grade school teaching. “ I guess there’s less pressure (with grade school students). Grade school kids are more receptive; willing to try anything.’’ So far. McCarthy has had success in getting the students to try music. This year 75 percent of the school's fourth graders signed up for band. “They usually don’t start until the fifth grade,” said McCarthy, who hopes to enroll even more next year, "They’ve proved to me they can handle it.” McCarthy’s first year at Welches was marred when the music program literally went up in smoke a month ago after a suspected arson fire destroyed the school’s music trailer As Welches District Superintendent Jack Callaghan put it, the program was destroyed “lock, stock and barrel ’” The fire was also a personal loss to the University of Portland graduate and destroyed many of his 130 original compositions, a personal music library, teaching supplies, a steel guitar and class notes from college and summer school years. “ Fortunately, I remember most of them,” McCarthy said of his musical compositions The blood of an entertainer is in the teacher, and within a couple weeks of the fire the students performed two concerts. “ I believe the show must go on.” Despite the loss of some instruments and “everything we had to teach music,” the students have pulled together for performances. “They’re pulling off beautiful con certs,” said an enthusiastic McCarthy. “ I think it’s really admirable.” Six students had instruments which were destroyed in the fire. Some have found replacement instruments and others will not be able to play in the band until next year. The district will be able to recoup the financial loss through school insurance, but most students were not insured. A group of district residents is planning a benefit dance and auction for those students, said Callaghan. The dance will be held sometime in June at the Hoodland Women’s Club Building which, ironically, also fell prey to a suspected arson fire a month to the day of the Welches fire. McCarthy’s group, Wildwood, will play for the dance, with all money going to replace the instruments destroyed For the duration of this school year, McCarthy is teaching wherever he can prop his foot on a chair and steady his guitar—be it on the stage of the school gymnasium amongst assorted weights and exercise gear, classrooms, the library or cafeteria. “ He’s very versatile,” said an ad miring boss. Superintendent Callaghan. Versatility is also one of the hallm arks of M cCarthy’s music program. For instance, at the school’s spring concert on May 18, everything from rock and roll to the “ 1812 Over ture" is on the program Performance time is at 7:30 p m Kindergarten age children, as well as eighth graders, will display their talents. “We like to involve as many kids in the concerts as we can,” McCarthy says. As a teacher, McCarthy stresses showmanship as well as musicianship “You should have fun and keep the interest of the audience,” he said. His choirs don’t dress in tuxedos and robes, but McCarthy believes musicians should look good. “ It’s definitely not a stiff collar type thing,” he said of the grade school performances. McCarthy’s own roots are deep in music The teacher, who plays about 10 instruments, gained his start per forming with a family band. The M cCarthy’s entertained at county fairs and at other functions around state. He also played for many years with the R ivergate Jazz Band which specialized in Dixieland music and jazz. He played tuba in the Portland Junior Symphony Orchestra for six years and travelled to Europe with that group. McCarthy then enrolled at the University of Portland in 1970. "I think I was in every performing group they had.” His father, now a Hoodland resident, had the stage name of Chuck Edwards when he made his mark as a cowboy singer on a radio show broadcast throughout the United States. Known as the “ Rocky Mountain Yodeller,” the elder McCarthy was heard locally on live radio shows on stations KGON and KGW He is now making a comeback of sorts after leaving the entertainment field and going into police work. The rest of the family shared Chuck McCarthy’s love for music. His wife would play back up steel guitar while her husband was on the road Tim's sisters have also kept up their musical interests His youngest sister. 16-year-old Kim, is a student at Sandy Union High School and will be a member of the school’s top singing group. The Pionaires, next year Another sister, Sharon Reece. 24. was active in music while attending Cleveland High School, and sings with Time at the Ziazag whenever she is visiting the mountain His third sister. Linda. 30, writes songs along with everyone else in the family. Tim has played with a folk mass group at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Portland for the past 10 years That church is located in the Buckman neighborhood at 12th and Pioneer Story/photos by Sue Lafky SECTION TWO SANDY. ORE MAY 11. 1978 The group includes three resident composers, including McCarthy, and has been called one of the most in novative church music groups in the Pacific Northwest. The group includes musicians on horns, guitar, keyboard “and assorted other things," said McCarthy. Persons with dulcimens or an Oriental koto have joined the group for perform ances on occasion. “ It’s quite a group.” Right now, most of McCarthy's time is spent with the students at Welches. “ I try to stress a variety of music, not just one kind,” said the teacher. “ I want them to have a positive ex perience, so they can enjoy and ap preciate all types of music for the rest of their lives.” Wildwood, U.S.A. Verse One Summer days in Wildwood, the sun is in my eyes. Giant stands of timberland, they stretch to touch the skies. Country roads and mountain tops and roaring mountain streams. Living up in Wildwood is livin' in a dream. Verse Two Autumn days in Wildwood, the frosty morning dew. Leaves are changing colors, and the sky is ocean blue. The fishin's getting better here but the days are not as long. And the fog is rollin' at night, the wind is singing songs. The wind is singing songs. Chorus Wildwood, Wildwood, the seasons come and go. Mountains stand like pioneers and the coat's made out of snow. If you come to Wildwood, you better plan to stay. I've never been in a prettier place than Wildwood U.S.A. Verse Three Winter comes to Wildwood with a snowflake in the night. You wake to find the brown and green has given way to white. Ice has formed a crystal world that sparkles in the night. One look at the snowy mountain top and everything's all right. Everything's all right. Verse Four Wildwood in the springtime is being born again. Wild flowers blooming and the singing of the wren. Wild berries blossom and the leaves have turned to q rpen And the winter snow has turned into a stream. Music and verse by Tim McCarthy.
