At the tender age of 7 years old I enjoyed my first public performance on a musical instrument. In the 3rd grade play at Jackson Avenue Elementary School in Mineola, I was typecast as a mouse, and played the tonette (what we now call a recorder). Here I am with some of the cast after the show. Notice that I am a midget. Once you pull your eyes away from my hi-top black Keds, you should also notice that, as part of my costume, I am wearing mittens. This made it very hard to play the tonette because it has open holes. Anyway, I was a success. The most interesting aspect of the photo is this. If you look to the right, it is apparent that even from the beginning, it was destiny that my career as an entertainer would revolve around a brown paper bag.