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Saturday, September 19, 2009

One Song

Hi there friends and family. I appreciate all who take the time to read this.



Okay so this post is going to be comtemplative then the last one, but I've been good at keeping it light, so indulge me. I have an assignment for intro to music therapy that is one of the hardest I've had in that class. I have to pick a song that is meaningful to me, have the class hear it, and explain why it is meaningful. How do I pick just one?


  • There's Never by Jenny Jordan Frogley, and then there's

  • Hold On the Light Will Come by Micheal Mclean. Both of these are religious, but I think in the conversation we will be having could be appropriate (honestly, how many people are going to pick the hokey pokey as their meaningful piece?) I might go with something more common like the

  • Circle of Life from the Lion King or

  • Hold On from the Secret Garden. I could even go instrumental and use the

  • Handel Cassedeus in b minor second movement or the

  • JC Bach in c minor third movement. Both are really meaningful to me and have helped me through rough moments. When I think about special performances I think of

  • Domine Adajuvadjume.

  • Finally there is "One Loaf of Bread" that was written in memory of my Grandma Christensen or "I Believe in Christ" which is the song that lets me feel connected to her. Any votes should be posted in replies. I can't find the songs to post, sorry.

Seriously, how do you pick one song that means the most to you.? I could pick the first one I ever performed. Unfortunately the major is Mormon heavy, so the teacher knows Popcorn Popping very well.


What is it about music that is so trancendent? People say it is a universal language, but that is only true in a limited sense. Music from accoss cultures does not translate very well, but music we understand can be life changing. I think it is because creating anything requires body and spirit. We create with our souls, so the experience always goes beyond the body. But then why does listening to it mean so much? I guess because we listen so rarely. Think about it, when was the last time you listened with your whole soul? And music touches brain on so many different frequencies and the heart in so many different ways. In all my darkest moments it was listening to music that got me through (and playing, but I have a larger listening than playing repetoire.)


Never (the first one on the list) was the Savior speaking directly to me. If I sing One Loaf of Bread I would bring bread for the class. That's too much work. The main reason I am leaning towards "Hold On, thhe Light Will Come" by Micheal McLean is the way I feel connected to him when I listen to it. I have never met Brother McLean, but if I ever do, I will already feel comfortable because of what I learned from that song. Only someone who has truly coped with depression could write that.

I think the class period is going to be about what makes music meaningful. I've dedicated my life to it because every time I feel strings underneath my fingers it feels like coming home. When I sing I know that many beyond the veil are listening. I have been passionate about the study of technique since high school because I wanted to learn all there was to know about it (still working on that one.) I feel like the luckiest person ever to be surrounded with music every day. I could not get by without it. I don't think anyone could.

Monday, September 7, 2009

A lot of nothing

Hi all!

I love keeping in touch with everyone and getting comments make my week (hint hint) but I'm not always sure what to write that may be of interest. I promised myself that this blog won't get too serious. I used the space to philosiphize last week, so this week I will keep it a little more timeline oriented. The second week of shchool went well. I'm enjoying my classes. I have this one called music in recreation and we have fun all period. This last time we had to lead the class in a movement activity. 5 of us used songs out of the children's songbook and another girl did a girls cam song. As there is only one male in the entire classroom, I thought it was appropriate.



I'm also learining to play the guitar. I can strum and I can play 2 chords. I feel good about me! To those of you who have never tried it, I must say the down up up strum pattern is harder than you think, or at least than I think. I can sing and play a little guitar. I feel like a music genius! Now if only I could play the recorder too I might pass the class.



All my other classes arew more of the pencil and paper veriety, but I guess learning is always good (see RS message for August.) Life is going pretty well right now.



My one serious note (I promise) is what makes September contemplative for me. My Grandma Christensen died September 22 2003. I can't believe it has already been 6 years. I feel closer to her now then I did before she passed away. In mortality all her time was dedicated to reaching out to others and bringing them to Christ, especially her family. I can't imagine she is doing anything different now. My Grandma Terry died the saturday of Labor Day weekend last year. Again, it is hard to believe it has been a year. I found a recording of our last conversation with her recently. She was (and is) an amazingly smart woman. Smart and funny with her head screwed on straight.