I was born in Spokane, Washington in 1954, the fourth child of Paul and Aldean Francis.

My elementary school in Spokane offered a beginning strings program. When I was in the third grade, the teachers from the program performed for my class. After hearing them, I got very excited about learning to play the violin. When I brought my permission slip home to my parents, they tried gently to dissuade me – pointing out how hard it was to play the violin, how much practice it would take, and how it was a real commitment I would have to stick with. But I was excited and persistent, and after a few days, they signed my permission slip and took me out to rent my first instrument – a ½ size violin.

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