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"I was missing music, really missing having music with me on a daily basis," said the engineer, who plans to perform several operatic pieces, including an aria from Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." "And I just found out that making music yourself is the best way to have it always with you."
Ruggieri grew up whistling the flute parts of Jethro Tull tunes. He said he's been practicing like a demon for this year's competition, but he knows he's at the mercy of the elements
-- especially the South's heavy pollen. "It's a very delicate instrument," he said of the human mouth. "There are times when you can be the best whistler in the world, and then there are times when you say,
'I was absolutely terrible. Breathy and airy.' And I just try to stay moist." Terry Dryoff, a retired community college professor from Silver Spring, Md., was making his second attempt at the time, He placed "somewhere in the middle" in the classical and popular categories last year, but hopes to make his mark in the allied arts. "I'm whistling, singing, playing harmonica and dancing," he said with a laugh. "Hopefully, that will get somebody's attention." The convention ends Saturday with an awards ceremony and banquet. Patricia Howell, who took over from DeHart this year as project director, acknowledges there are other whistling contests out there, including big ones in Japan, China and India. But, she adds, "They still send their people to Louisburg."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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