Piano Lessons

I read a story in the Friend magazine a couple of weeks ago about some young children (ages 8 to 11) who played the piano for their church music program!  The article said their ward (church congregation) lacked a piano player, at least for the Primary (children's organization), so one of the adult leaders came up with the idea to have some of the children each learn to play one or two songs.  Each child told of how they practiced and practiced, and were able to perform it for their musical program at the end of the year!

It really inspired me to get my children started on piano lessons!  Of course we have always planned to put all of our children in piano lessons in a few years when we have the financial means.  We had initially decided to start them when they were 8 years old.  But reading the article just sort of inspired me and helped me realize that I have the knowledge I need to teach them the basics to get started.  So I decided to start now and see where it took us.  So we did!

Of course, we are still in the very early stages, so it's still very thrilling and exciting for the children.  But we are enjoying it immensely!

Grins was SO excited after his first lesson that he begged me to let him stay and listen to Angel's lesson too, so he could 'help teach her' and hear it all again.  He was literally jumping up and down listening to her lesson, he was so excited!  Every day they've asked if they could practice (I've never had to remind them!), and they have both already learned and mastered a song (right hand only so far...but good nonetheless!)  I LOVE watching them work together on it as I prepare dinner (and Wiggles sits in her little chair and reads)!  I keep thinking to myself, "It just doesn't get any better than this!"

The Gift of Music

I have always been passionate about music. To me, music is the voice of the soul. It can invoke peace and serenity more quickly than words alone ever could. It can lift the unbearable burden, calm the sailor in the eye of the storm and mend the heart which was considered beyond repair.

Music has played a significant part in my own life for as long as I can remember. My mother's soothing voice often lulled me to sleep in song. Through orchestra and choir, I met some of my dearest friends with whom I share fond memories, and who still hold special places within my heart. And it is through choir and a love of music that I met my love and eternal companion, Jon.

Fortunately we share this passion for music so it has been a high priority to make music a part of our daily lives and our family. I was so excited to get an IPOD this year for Christmas (thank you, Love!) For the past several days I have had a very difficult time putting it down and, as a result, have been enjoying my own music SO much (over the past 3 years, I've mostly been listening to Primary Songs, Nursery Rhyme Songs and Raffi...) While I LOVE jammin' with my kids, it has been so refreshing to hear some of MY favorites for a change! Maybe you all are better at it than I, but I would highly encourage all you moms to take the opportunity to listen to at least one MOMMY song each day. It is amazing what it can do for you!

Some thoughts to ponder:

"Let us sing a new song, not with our lips, but with our lives." ~St. Augustine
"We are the music makers. We are the dreamers of the dreams." ~Arthur O'Shaughnessy
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be mad by those who
could not hear the music." ~Friedrich Nietzsche
"I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent." ~Luciano Pavarotti

Some of my latest favorites:
Click here, here and here. What are some of your favorites?

Christmas with the Mo-Tab and King's Singers

Jon and I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, Bells on Temple Square and the King's Singers this past weekend at their Annual Christmas Concert. And let me tell you, we were NOT disappointed!

The set up was spectacular - a little Christmas village - and the lighting was amazing. The music was INCREDIBLE (of course!!! The MoTab, Orchestra and Bells never disappoint!) And perhaps the main highlight of the evening was, quite naturally, the King's Singers!
Previously, Jon and I had only ever heard recordings of them, so to experience them live was a special treat! They are AMAZING! I must say that, if Jon were not my one and only love, I would have been swooning over the youngest King's Singer, Chris (pictured second from the right...can you believe he joined them at the ripe old age of 26?! Incredible!) But since I do love Jon, and mostly because he was sitting next to me, I was careful to keep my swooning to a minimum! But we both enjoyed their incredible music, and they complemented the MoTab and orchestra well! Another highlight I simply loved was the University of Utah dance team - they danced to a few numbers, but my favorite was the Twelve Days of Christmas - they had one dancer dressed as a partridge who came out as they were singing the first day, two depicting turtle doves that came out second, and so on. It was simply spectacular, something I have never seen before, and I loved it!

All in all, it was a WONDERFUL evening! Special thanks to our sister-in-law, Amy, a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square, for providing the tickets for us, and to my brother Daniel who entertained our children - and then put them to bed - both difficult feats! - while we were gone! We love you guys!