• The Musical (Family) Life by Miguel Vasconcellos
• The 57th Missouri Photo Workshop | MPW.57

In a college marching band more than 18 years ago, a drum major and a clarinetist met and have been tied together by music ever since.

Kevin and Cheryl Lines have been married 18 years, have two children and both teach music in Marshall, Missouri schools. Kevin is an assistant to the band director and teaches the string orchestra at Marshall High School, along with also teaching string orchestra and general music at Bueker Middle School. Cheryl teaches choir and general music at Bueker next door to Kevin, allowing them to see eachh other often, just a door away.

The two are also members of their church choir, the Marshall Philharmonic (with Kevin conducting on occasion) and the city band. Kevin plays the trombone and Cheryl plays the clarinet.

Their children have both inherited their parent's love of music. Dalton, 10, and Charlotte, 6, both play piano and Dalton will likely play in the strings orchestra when he starts middle school. The two each took second place for their respective age groups this year at the state fair.

Instruments and sheet music are as much a part of the household as footballs and jerseys are in others.

It's not the life of rock stars, but for the Lines family, they would't have it any other way. As Cheryl says, "My family is the reason I do music."