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VY: It sounds like you do have strong memories, and music was kind of your strongest memory.

MM: Yes. That and the kicking over the can. I don't know why that is so... I guess I must have been really afraid I was going to get in trouble. I do remember learning songs in groups, we had our songs, so I can still sing to you. Because when you learn it when you're little, you remember it. And I don't know, this is kind of a side story, but a friend of mine who also lived in camp, and she has the same sorts of memories. Not exactly the same, but she said, "Did you know that Shirley Temple could sing this song?" one of the songs that we learned in camp, and she knew it's in Japanese. And (she) sent me a video of it one time, Shirley Temple singing this Japanese song in Japanese. I thought that was pretty cool.

VY: I'd like to see that, actually. I was going to ask you that question, if the songs you sang were in Japanese?

MM: They were. They were all in Japanese, and there was one, apparently, that was, I think had something to do with the emperor and we were forbidden to sing that after a while. I don't know what it was and I can't tell you how it goes right now, but it was a really pretty song.

VY: Do you remember things like your mom's voice? Like did she sing to you or talk to you or hum?

MM: I don't really remember that about camp, while she was in camp. But I do know that after we were in camp, one of my most vivid memories back when I was really little is that we used to sing together. And she knew Solfege, I don't know if you know what Solfege is? You know, Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti? She had learned that in Japan, I think, or I don't know, maybe she learned it in Colorado. But I learned Mary Had a Little Lamb and Solfege first. [Laughs] She would sing in harmony and I would sing the melody in Solfege, I didn't know the words. But she would sing, that was one of the things she liked to do. My dad liked to whistle, she liked to sing.

VY: Do you have any memories of your dad while you were in camp? Like interacting with him or hearing his voice?

MM: No, I don't. I have some pictures of him, and there's that one picture, it's just really wonderful. Anyway, he was a good dad.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2024 Densho. All Rights Reserved.