<Begin Segment 19>

TI: Well, you mentioned that, so when you, at Manzanar, you had to go to school. What was school like at Manzanar?

MN: It was very good. I understand from, I talked to the superintendent of the schools and she says, the camps, but Manzanar, that she knew of, had the highest academic rating of all the California schools. Because the students were different. They were diligent, and they aspired to become good students and they weren't sloughing off. Of course, there must have been a few, but the majority were, you know how the Japanese were, "Oh, yeah, I've got to do this because it's going to bring shame to the family." So we all tried very hard. And they had the regular classes like physics and civics and math, and they even had typing and shorthand and the arts, music appreciation, all that they had like in the outside world.

TI: Now, were you able to continue with your music?

MN: Yes, I was able to join the acapella choir, I was able to take music appreciation, and partake in the different functions that the music department put on.

TI: And how would you rate the quality of education in the music area, something that you kind of knew a lot about? What would you say?

MN: I thought we had a terrific teacher, but he's very famous. Well, he's famous now that he's gone and they made documentaries about him. But he left UCLA as a twenty-something, he was just about the same age as my husband-to-be. And he came to Manzanar to teach these kids music. So he taught band and orchestra and singing and drama, and we all survived and functioned like normal people because of him.

TI: And this is Mr. Frizzell?

MN: Louis Frizzell. Louis Frizzell.

TI: Describe your relationship with him. I mean, here you're a really good singer, he's the music teacher.

MN: I would say he was my mentor. I mean, he just took me under his wings and he supported me and went to Los Angeles to buy sheet music for me so that I could learn new songs. And every time there was a program he would accompany me. And he tried to get me into that movie... what is that movie by Houston? Farewell to Manzanar. He was the only person in that movie, book, movie, who was actually in camp, took a part of the teacher. And he wanted me to be in there. So he came to the... I met him in Los Angeles, and we recorded the song, and he spoke to me, and he said he's going to try to get that into the movie. But somebody had already been recorded to sing that song that he wanted me to sing. But this girl -- no, to sing the song that he wanted me to sing. But this other girl that they hired was a young girl, and she sang opera, and they called her the "Songbird of Manzanar." [Laughs]

TI: So they didn't use the real "Songbird of Manzanar." Now, "Songbird of Manzanar," who gave you that nickname?

MN: I have no idea. I imagine it was Louis Frizzell, but I can't say for sure. But he did write a song for me, and I still have the music he wrote for me. I owe him so much.

TI: Now, did he do this with other singers or other performers in camp?

MN: No.

TI: So he really helped you, he really focused...

MN: Yes, he was my mentor.

TI: And the music that he brought and helped you with, where did you perform? What did you do with this?

MN: Every time we had a school program or a camp program. I even sang at a funeral. And the very first get-together was an introduction of the faculty or something, and just a few months after we got there. I guess they heard that I sang at the Nisei Week talent shows, so they asked me to sing. And I sang with no accompaniment, and I sang Tangerine. I guess you have never heard of that song, it's so old. But that's when I was sixteen. Yeah, I was still sixteen when I sang that song. But later on, as I got to know the faculty and the people, they asked me to sing different things, different functions, graduations and different things.

TI: Now, was this all inside Manzanar?

MN: Yes, inside of Manzanar.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.