© After the concert....Watercolor, St.Germain
The voice of our soul is heard in music.Just a snippet of how teachers have an enormous influence on the life of their students. In 5th grade, the teacher and the one of 4th grade teamed up to start a children's choir. I loved to sing, and in that choir I had my first public performance as a 10 year old with two other girls, who I became very good friends with. The voices as well as the instrumentalists who accompanied, were all 4 and 5th graders.
Music sparked so much inspiration that I not only learned to play the guitar and ukulele, but as a 14 year old began to compose songs. I sang these at public performances. My songs even got the attention to a performing artists - piano player - who was studying for her doctorate in music.
I might have been ahead of others in my musical skills, but I was still a teen and needed to mature in some things. Unfortunately, my parents did not have the know-how to guide me in this.
One was about humility. I remember very well that I and a very talented friend both sang a song while she accompanied. (At 15 she gave adult recitals) We practiced half an hour, and received the second prize in a local competition. We told each other that we were not going to do this anymore, bcause it was too easy!
Something else I struggled with was that if one has a talent, others set that person apart. Suddenly one ends up having many friends who are not really friends. I solved that problem by emotionally withdrawing while still being an outgoing person on the outside. Not a good solution!
Whenever I hear of someone young the public goes gaga over, I feel for them, for that very reason!
To pick back up my story line, I in turn influenced my brothers. They each play the guitar as well as another instrument.
Music brings people together. Music is one of the things my brothers and I always can talk about, even though our taste in music vastly differs.
My brother did not let me go empty handed to the States. At that time he spent his yearly vacation in Spain and bought several times a guitar there. He gave me an Arita, which sound is comparable to the Yamaha. I love this guitar - it de-stressed me during my studies and gave me new energy.
Music is a torch to be passed onto the next generation. Since I know the power of music and how much joy it can bring in one's life, I made sure to take my children to their piano lessons,
even though I was always pressed for time during my grad. studies. It paid off. Both of my girls led a band at some point, and my son was is able to accompany singers.
The quick watercolor at the top of this post is one of my girls with her saxophone.
All that to say that I actually come from a musical family.
What about painting? That's just one of those unexpected quirks of life!