By Harriet Nachman

D.P. Women’s Writer

The Gainer House is “alive with the sound of music.”

Six children—three playing musical instruments—three more ballet students, a Dad who is an accomplished English horn and oboe player, and a Mom who can hold her own on the clarinet, piano and organ—the singing Trapp family had nothing on the Patrick Gainers of Sanford Drive.

While the talents of his four daughters and two sons remain for the most part hidden from the public eye, the head of the family is well-known to local concert goers as the lone performer on the English horn in the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra.

Music has been a tradition with the Gainer family for generations, but the proud poppa hasn’t encouraged his offspring to pursue his favorite hobby—in fact he’s done all he could to discourage their interest in music.

“I think all my children have a good musical ear, but I never try to push them—on the contrary, I push them away from music—reverse psychology has worked very well,” smiled the six-year veteran of the symphony group.

The woodwind instruments seem to be the most popular with the Gainers—12-year-old Patrick has been studying the clarinet for two years, and joins his 11-year-old sister, Mary Theresa, a flute player, for frequent duets. Mrs. Gainer shares her son’s enthusiasm for the clarinet—she has owned one since high school days.

But Robert is the proudest member of the family and may soon become the loudest as he progresses on his new instrument—a drum. The decade-old tyke just got his practice pad Wednesday, but he’s already started in with the sticks. Poor neighbors!

“The neighbors are very good about the noise,” smiled Mr. Gainer. “But then there was the poor frustrated man who came to me with pleading voice and said, ‘I don’t mind the practicing so much if you’d only finish something.’”

The musician explained that when he is making reeds he has to play, then whittle, and play and whittle over and over until the job is done. “The stopping and starting can be a little nerve-wracking—especially on the oboe which carries a good 100 yards,” commented Gainer.

Music may be a main concern of both Gainer parents, but Patrick and his young wife cannot devote as much time as they would like to the relaxing pastime.

The aerospace technologist very seldom is able to begin practicing as soon as he gets home from work.

“On Tuesday night it’s the Knights of Columbus, Wednesday the Boy Scouts, Thursday it’s either church choir practice or symphony rehearsal and Friday the Mount Carmel Men’s Club of which I’m the president. In the wintertime I rarely being practicing before 10 at night,” emphasized Gainer.

The mother of the crew must attend to cooking and caring for six children—all under 13, plus five cats, six fish, and a parakeet before she can unpack her clarinet and join her husband for a little Mozart.

“One of the children is always going somewhere—Patrick and Robert to band rehearsals at Mount Carmel School, and the four girls to ballet and toe lessons—keeping on the go—that’s the story of our lives,” said Mrs. Gainer.

The father of the house envisions himself spending many hours in his private room—built as far back from the television as possible—between now and the first symphony concert Nov. 11. Gainer, who began his musical career at the age of 13, will give up his seat as first oboist and concentrate solely on the English horn for the group’s Armistice Day performance.

Official practice sessions may not begin for another three weeks, but today on Symphony Sunday, the Gainers—eight strong—will put in a day’s work for the benefit of the growing orchestra.