Intro

 I started to study music as a child from my grandmother, in the nursery, kindergartner and then in primary school. 

That is me, around 1986, when I was 1 year old.

My mother's mother on the left, and next to her, her step mother, who was my Vonatos dédi. I loved her as a great-grandmother, her nick name was Train Granny, as she traveled from the other side of the country by train to visit us.
I studied first from them to sing.

Nursery school in Derecske, Hungary in 1988.

At this point, I loved to play on my xylophone, drums, mundklaver in Danish or melodica in English. I also had 24-hole harmonica, tremolo harmonica.

It is me, around year 3 with my xylophone and radio.

Name: Triola or mundklaver in Danish, melodica in English

Source: https://www.thomann.dk/ca_seydel_soehne_triola_12.htm

Name: 24 holes harmonica

Source: https://www.thomann.dk/hohner_big_valley_48_c.htm

In the kindergartner, before we finished the last year, we had to study minimum one song to play on a flute.

Name: flute

Source: https://www.thomann.dk/yamaha_yrs23.htm

I had chance to try out interesting instruments as well.

When I was around 10 years old, I was member of the school citera group.

I studied to play citera from Erkel Ferencné, she was my music teacher in the upper or junior part of the primary school.

Why did I study to play citera?

As my mother's mother's father always played citera. My grandmother told me stories about, that he had a bigger version of the citera, and he played it every day.

I studied on a citera like this.

Source: https://www.kalota.hu/index.php/hu/hangszerkeszites/citerak/valyu-citera

I never saw my great-grandfather's citera, but after, how my grandmother described it, and the size, my guess, this is the citera he could have at home.

Source: https://www.kalota.hu/index.php/hu/hangszerkeszites/citerak/pikolo

Later in the primary school, my teacher was the wife of the grandson of the famous composer.

Who?

Erkel Ferenc was a famous Hungarian composer.

Name: Erkel Ferenc

Source: https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/culture_society/ferenc_erkel_hungarian_national_music_anthem_himnusz_bankban_1848/

Wikipedia in Danish:

Ferenc Erkel, også Franz Erkel (født 7. november 1810 i Gyula i Békés, død 15. juni 1893 i Budapest), var en ungarsk komponist, dirigent og pianist.; grundlægger af den ungarske nationalopera. Han var desuden en af Ungarns bedste skakspillere.[1]

Wikipedia in English:

Ferenc Erkel (Hungarian: Erkel Ferenc Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈɛrkɛl ˈfɛrɛnt͡s], German: Franz Erkel; November 7, 1810 – June 15, 1893) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist. He was the father of Hungarian grand opera, written mainly on historical themes, which are still often performed in Hungary. He also composed the music of "Himnusz", the national anthem of Hungary, which was adopted in 1844. He died in Budapest.

Source:https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Ferenc_Erkel

So this composer had a grandson and his wife, Erkel Ferencné was my music teacher in the primary school. She was also the head of the music choir, where I also went for years and participated in music competitions.

One of the most famous event, I participated was Bartók Béla Nemzetközi Kórusverseny in Debrecen.

About the choir competition: 

https://bartokcompetition.hu/

It was organized in the big hall of the Grand Hotel Aranybika.

Name: Grand Hotel Aranybika, Debrecen, Hungary

Source: https://denagy.hu/jo-helyek-debrecenben/grand-hotel-aranybika/

Here is a video of this competiton from 2024:

Grand Prize Competition & Award Ceremony – BBCC 2024

https://youtu.be/6Gjh4zbG8bs?si=2qw-VuRBCdzM3Kqs

In the primary school, we study music, singing, music sheet writing, music History.

I was 10 years old, when I got my first keyboard.

In the gymnasium, we continued to study more Music and Music History.

I also travelled with my music teacher to France and Italy.

In 2001, in Italy, in the Vatican with my music teacher from gymnasium, Kerecsen Józsefné.

We had amazing trips with my music teacher, Kerecsen Józsefné, she was the head teacher to my father in the gymnasium. So we were connected for several generations.