The eldest of five (5) children was born March 2, 1957 in Charlotte, NC .The family moved to Wilmington, California in 1962 Parents were Gerald Derthick, a factory worker turned school teacher who left teaching to become chemical plant manager, & Anna Marie Derthick, a school teacher turned stay at home mom who went back to teaching to pay for music lessons when her children chose instruments. Beginning at age six (6) all Derthick children were taught piano by their mother. At age 8, when public school instrumental instruction was offered, I chose violin. Because of my early music training at home, it was necessary to find private instruction after only a few months of playing. As the other four (4) siblings picked up instruments, mom had to do more teaching to afford lessons for all of us. Because of our age spread, the “mom taxi” to youth orchestras usually only involved 2-3 of us at any one time (plus friends). Only myself & middle brother Thomas continued our musical careers after completing school with Thomas currently President for American Federation of Musicians Local 12 in Sacramento, CA where he is also the Bass instructor at University of the Pacific (UOP), UC Davis & CSU Sacramento.