I promised to take you along on my music journey this year, remember? I didn’t forget. My little music train has being chugging along- a little slower than planned because of some unanticipated stops, but it’s still moving! Jump on for a few minutes and I’ll catch you up on where I’ve been.
September:
I helped the boys adjust to being back in school. They did fabulous! I began to shift gears and get back into a routine. I set goals, and looked forward to making some progress with my music journey (did I tell you how much I enjoyed Richie Norton’s 76 day challenge?).
Mid-month I went to my doctor to get a procedure done that was much more painful and a much longer recovery than anticipated. My compassion for others who are in pain grew exponentially (aka holy cow that was rough).
October:
I finally felt like myself for one day before my entire family became very sick for several weeks. Flat-on-our-backs type sick. Kids took turns staying home from school and I played nurse-mom.
In the minutes to myself, I was privileged to learn from the great Hans Zimmer through his masterclass (online). Wow that was fun!
November:
It had been two months since school had started and I had made very little progress with my goals (you can see why!). The boys were back in school so I had more free time than I’d had for weeks, but I felt SO discouraged. I spent much of the month wondering if I even wanted to write music. I wondered if I even liked writing music. Maybe I was barking up the wrong tree.
A good friend spent a lot of time listening to me during November. She and I talked a lot about hope, and it was through her that I started to find my footing again. Through our chats I realized that the “unknowns” of my music journey were part of what was making me feel so frustrated, not necessarily music itself. Maybe I didn’t hate writing music after all!
I also worked on a hymn arrangement of “Abide with Me” for two women’s voices and piano.
December:
Early December I began singing lessons again. It has been a joy to learn from a wonderful teacher.
Family is my number one and the holidays didn’t leave a lot of room for music time, but I managed to meet up with a friend in Spokane who helped me record a song I wrote with a friend called “Feels Right” (it’s not done, but I hope to share it soon!).
January:
Kids going back to school and New Years Goals gave me a fresh start. I needed it. I set some new goals (for one thing, I wanted to write music every day, even if it was only a few notes!) and felt like I was gaining momentum.
I started taking some online classes- one on music for film, one about orchestration, and one on composing. One night, at about 9:00, I finished analyzing a piece Beethoven wrote for a string quartet. My husband came in to the bedroom where I was putting away my headphones and I commented, “How did I ever think this was not my thing? Who else analyzes Beethoven at night and feels like they’re a kid in a candy store?!” I started remembering why I love music (listening to it and writing it!).
Then my youngest son broke his leg snowboarding. Actually getting off the lift. The first lift of the day. Bummer.
Fortunately he loves his wheelchair (we’re headed in to X-ray it again Monday!) so it’s been as easy as having a full leg-cast could be.
February:
After an initial recovery period, my youngest son went back to school full time, loving the ramps (“I get to ride down them while everyone else walks, mom!”) and doing very well. My oldest had been fighting an infection on his big toe which climaxed in a minor surgery last week.
Two and a half weeks ago I was asked to write an arrangement (using three existing children’s songs), gather some friends to perform it, practice with them, and share it- today. It would have been a tight enough timeline as it was, but I knew that we were leaving for Banff, Alberta (for an anniversary trip!) in a few days. Though that didn’t give me much time, I was excited to have an opportunity to write for something that was already scheduled to be performed- not a common opportunity for me currently. This morning I had the honor of singing “Trying” with some talented friends at a Women’s Conference.
And that brings you up to speed! It’s been a busy couple of months.
I’ll leave you with an experience that I’ve been pondering from last week:
At my voice lesson, Stazya (my teacher) was helping me with a vocal exercise. I was singing a pattern of notes that would get higher each time I finished the pattern successfully. It was getting high, and I was having a hard time adjusting in the higher range. After an attempt that didn’t sound the way I wanted it to, she looked at me and said, “Everything is set up and working right with your voice and your breathing. Now you just need to let go in order for the voice to be free. You just simply have to let go.”
What in your life is technically ready and working, but in order for it to really soar, “you just simply have to let it go”?
TTFN,
Laura
MELODIES OF LIGHT 