My Life in 6 Songs

My musical mojo is back!!!

After months and months of (mostly) sitting at the computer and typing, I’m finally creating opportunities to flex my musical muscles.

Just this week, I’ve taken–and passed!–an entrance exam so I can take a graduate music theory class. I also started playing flute in the community band …and I haven’t played in a band in 10 years! AND I’m gearing up for my first-ever gig. Yippee!

All this musical activity reminds me of a couple posts I read recently. JoAnn Jordan, the blogger behind Musical Gems, has been reading Daniel Levitin’s The World in Six Songs. This inspired her to ask: If I were summarize my life in 6 songs, what would they be?

Last month, Rachel Rambach of Listen and Learn Music rose to the challenge…and now it’s my turn. Here is my life in 6 songs:

1. The Rainbow Connection. When I was a child and teenager, I loved to sit at the piano, pull out a Reader’s Digest songbook, then play and sing through song after song. The Rainbow Connection was one of my favorites and reminds me of my early love for music.
2. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. There are many, many amazing works of music. This is one of my favorites. The passion, the romanticism, the lyricism…I get goosebumps every time.
3. Hips Don’t Lie. I am an absolute sucker for dance movies. Center Stage, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Save the Last Dance…I don’t think I’ve come across one I don’t like, no matter how cheesy. Whether I’m cooking, cleaning, or getting ready to go out, dance songs–like this one–make me wanna move.
4. Down in the Valley. This is the first song I ever learned on the guitar. In many ways, then, it represents the start of my journey as a music therapist.
5. Maslanka Symphony No. 7. My husband and I had our fourth date with composer David Masklanka. Just over a year later, when our first child was days old, my husband conducted the CSU Wind Ensemble  in playing Maslanka’s 7th Symphony. For these reasons, Maslanka will always hold a dear place in my heart…especially with this symphony.
6. “Nigh-Nigh” Musical Medley. Most nights, I sing my children to sleep. Over the past year, we’ve created a little medley of songs that they ask for in the same order, every night: “ABCD,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and “Sleep Baby Sleep.” These songs remind me of being a mom.

Just as JoAnn challenged us, I now challenge YOU: what 6 songs define your life? Feel free to let us know in the comment boxes below!

P.S. I have to give added props to Rachel for thinking of me and sharing her top 10 tips for the gigging musician. Thanks Rachel!

Tagged as: music, reflections, song