Music: A blessing
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
S. WOODSTOCK — Playing Christmas carols at the South Woodstock Baptist Church recently brought into focus for Ruth Doughty how thankful she is and how blessed she feels for the gift of music.
Doughty played the organ at the South Woodstock Baptist Church for more than 65 years, starting around 1957 when her husband Henry became the church pastor. Ten years later he became pastor of the Sterling Hill Church but the young family remained in Woodstock during that time. She also taught piano and organ.
A few years ago some health challenges forced her to stop as the church organist. Recently she’s played at some church events, including the Christmas carols event. “Different people came up to me and thanked me,” she said. Being a part of it is “a real blessing to me.”
This year it was especially meaningful that she had not asked if she could play for the Christmas carols event but they asked her. Pastor Bob Beckwith had arranged the music and all the pages sat ready on the piano. She said they went from one song to the next with Beckwith flipping the pages for her.
They came to the last song – traditionally “Silent Night.” And there was no page for it on the stand. “Bob looked for it but there was no page.” He came back with his tablet and said it’s in b-flat. And Doughty went ahead and played it without the music in front of her. “I can do that because the Lord has blessed me with that ability. I’ve been so blessed with all these opportunities.”
She believes it’s a gift from the Lord. “It’s either there or it’s not there.”
Her love for music began in earnest growing up in New Jersey. Her grandmother enjoyed music and there was a piano in the house. “Sometimes maybe I’d play around with the piano — no real direction.” When she was in fourth grade her parents started her with lessons. And her siblings started lessons on other instruments. A real musical family.
Through the years she’s taught perhaps 330 students. BUT she lost her records for eight years so that number is actually higher. Lessons stopped with COVID-19. Later she found that kids, enthralled with technology, weren’t interested in piano lessons. But adults were.
Talking about her students she said “what a blessing they have been.”
She recalled one challenging student, early on. A blind boy who could play back what he heard but his adoptive parents wanted him to be able to read music. They got the Braille version of the music Doughty had and she worked with him from fourth grade right on through high school. How was that done -– you can’t read the music with one hand and play it with one hand. The boy went over and over the Braille version, memorizing it. Then played the music with both hands. The pair even tackled a Bach piece that was for three hands. She said it was very difficult and he was anguished about it but he did it. He went on to play in different churches. Music became his life.
She also recalls, proudly, that some of her students were advanced enough that when the Mr. Graves started the music program at The Woodstock Academy, her students would play. Mr. Graves didn’t have to hire an accompanist. Recently, she said, there was a reunion celebration with students, alum, and more when Mr. Graves visited. “People came from all over,” she said. She didn’t remember if she had ever talked to him and waited patiently to speak with Graves afterwards. She thanked him for giving her students the opportunity. “So many don’t have the opportunity to use their music,” she told him.
She said he turned it right around, pointing in the other direction. “I have to thank YOU for how well those students played. I didn’t have to hire an accompanist.” Doughty didn’t expect to hear that and she said, once again she felt thankful and blessed.
The gift of music touched her students and the congregants. Generations to come will be thankful the Lord blessed Ruth Doughty with her gift.
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