Music, Growing Up and Giving Back
September 23rd, 2009I believe in the power of music to heal, to teach,
to excite, to engage, to motivate, to affect positive change.
My earliest memories of learning music are of Saturday mornings spent with a circle of children, in the living room of a very pleasant, British lady. Our parents were in the sitting room next door, socializing with coffee and tea, while we kids were taught in the Kodály tradition. I remember singing solfège. I remember poppy seed muffins and warm water in paper cups. I remember learning to play the recorder, la flûte à bec. I remember being told that this particular song had been written by King Richard the Lionheart while he was imprisoned in the Crusades. A lovely story of questionable validity, but it was enough to motivate this young boy to internalize the soft melody. Put a recorder in my hands, and I can still grab onto pieces of the music I learned twenty years ago. My fingers remember that choreography.
I remember that as a child at summer camp, the best times were around the campfire. There was a joyful unpredictability to the craziness and fun. Silly songs with sillier actions were sung while the flames leapt high. We held hands and saluted the day by singing Taps. I wanted the campfire to go on forever, for my fears lurked just there after. Homesickness, and trying to fall asleep in a strange bed, in a strange cabin, while shadows made strange, snoring sounds.
A few years later, I had outgrown those fears and it was me dancing like a monkey around the fire. It was me playing guitar and singing in the dark, soothing my cabin of boys to sleep. I would listen for the slowing sound of their breathing before I could put myself to rest. Even the toughest tyke would look forward to their rustic lullabies.
I learned to play guitar in high school. I was the singer in a cover band that played school assemblies and battle of the bands. Our greatest gig was following Gordon Lightfoot at the Mariposa Folk Festival (which included a rendition of Cracker’s Teen Angst. Although, my favorite memory would be covering Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” at the final assembly of my graduating year. The teachers standing at the back appreciated it more than the juniors in the audience. I could feel the age gap. Myself on the older side.
I never took guitar lessons; I simply hung out with guitarists who played better than me: Dave, Matt, Dan and Brandon. I would follow along, ask questions, and put it together piece by piece. My musical foundation is in playing by ear, jamming when I don’t know the tune, the chords, the key. I spent countless hours and several years writing and recording with Brandon, Dean, Andrew and Brent. I learned to listen, absorb and react. I learned not to fear (or force) the moment. These lessons shaped the person I have become, above and beyond how I create music.
Children deserve the respect of being listened to.
Authentic interaction is a two-way street.
While studying theatre at Queen’s University, I had the opportunity to write music for a department major production which I was acting in. This was an eye opening, ear-opening experience. As an actor, I was actively present throughout the development process. “The Composer” was gifted with a perspective to write music from within the story world. I learned the power of sound to affect the body. A scene rehearsed with music would have an energy that lacked when run unaccompanied. Music is a powerful tool to access emotions and evoke change. Since then, I am moved to create beautiful sounds, that underscore the positivity of this amazing world we live in.
After Queen’s, I was privileged to perform for children across Canada with Touring Players Theatre. I was one of 4 actors in a production called “A World of Fairy Tales.” I played the green characters: the frog prince, the troll under the billy goats’ bridge, an ogre and a dragon. We spent four months touring Ontario, followed by four months playing in theatres coast to coast. I am thrilled to have been a part of so many children’s first theatrical experience. And this energy kept me fresh throughout the run. 230+ performances later: I learned a thing or two about holding children’s attention, being grounded in the present, and creating unique, joyful moments. I learned how to use my voice and body language to engage with the rhythm and energy of an audience.
I delved deeper into sound design and composition at Concordia University and earned a bachelor of Fine Arts in Electroacoustics. Electro-acousti-what now? Think: audio-engineer-composer (in the literal) or sound-painter/sculptor (in the abstract). I was exposed to a variety of experimental composers and techniques, but my own work consistently floated back to sculpting the human voice. I am entranced with organic, natural sounds. I seek to create music with story, character, push & pull. My imagination soars at the potential for new expressions of the human condition, propelled by the dancing 1s and 0s of digital media.
I left Montréal in the fall of 2008, and spent several months travelling, visiting family in New Zealand. It was a time of personal reflection. January of 2009, a brainstorming exercise helped me to point my compass and decipher my life’s purpose:
To set myself a flame with the joy and pain of Life, Love and Loss,
and to spread that flame outward, banishing shadows, teaching the world
to sing together in harmony and dance to the rhythms of Peace.
I love to compose and produce music, and I will continue to for the rest of my life. I need more than an office job to finance my creative habit. I need to place myself somewhere I can fulfill my life purpose, help others grow (using music as one avenue), and support myself and my future family. Teaching children creative expression through music and movement aligns perfectly with the fire burning inside me.
It is with great joy that I recently accepted a position to train and become a Music Teacher with Rainbow Songs Inc. Music is an integral part of my life; it is an honor to share the gift of music with precious, little ones and their parents.
Tags: Dreams, Music, Teaching
Posted in Ponderings | Comments (2)
September 24th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~ Leopold Stokowski
I love sharing in your paintings.
September 26th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
What you say here about how you learned to play the guitar reminded me of what Eric Clapton had to say about that in his autobiography. It’s a fascinating read… Not that you listen to me when I recommend books, but I thought I’d mention it anyway.
Also, this is a wonderful post. The writing is full of your unique energy and I love that. Well done.