"With a song in my heart..."

Sunset over Mauna Kea, Big Island, HI

I joined the Greater Tiverton Community Chorus in January to meet new people in the community and to do something I have always loved: to sing. One of the perks of retirement is that I now have the time and the energy to pursue interests I put off until "someday". We rehearsed every Thursday night with a group of about seventy-five people, mostly my age or older. There are a couple of women in their twenties. One young woman, Nicole, sang a lovely introductory solo, representing Noah's wife, in "Ain't It Good" from the Broadway musical, Children of Eden. We happily completed two concerts this weekend of American Hymnity music "from Gospel to Broadway". It was one of the most moving and fun experiences of my life. I am so happy I joined!

Singing music I would never have been introduced to otherwise felt like such a growing experience for me. I was required to learn to read music all over again. The last time I sang professionally was in middle school with the All Newton Chorus, in Newton Massachusetts. Who knew there was so much information on a sheet of music? Now I know what those symbols mean: quiet, loud, fast slow; refrain. I used a pink highlighter to mark the Alto part I was to sing, as well as all the lyrics. Learning to follow the notes, words, and then have to watch our conductor, Beth, hurt my brain in the beginning; and my eyes all along. Doing those simultaneous movements was hard work, but so worth it. I screwed up a few songs, but in a large group, I learned to just sing softer. Beth had a keen ear, and could hear if even one person was out of tune. She never heard me, so I guess using the tricks other members shared with me really worked. Phew.

I have been singing since I was a child. My mother loved to sing and played piano, not professionally, but very competently. We always had an upright in our home growing up, and I loved listening to her play and sing. She made me take piano lessons from the second to fourth grade at St. Catherine's Elementary School in Norwood, Massachusetts. The nuns were very strict, and I hated the smell in the stairwells. It smelled like ether and ammonia. I will never forget it. I hated to practice, and after two years, I quit. I regret that decision to this day. I now have an electric keyboard with all the bells and whistles. I haven't played it yet, but since joining the Chorus, it helped me figure out the notes and was especially helpful when I had to shift from the Alto-2 part to Tenor in some of the songs. I am determined to learn to play it now, and am convinced the Chorus will guide me there. I'll keep you posted on my progress. All encouragement would be appreciated.

At St. Catherine's, we had music classes where we were taught to sing the Mass in Latin. I loved these classes the best. I found the music so inspirational and moving then, and I still feel that way about it now. I can't imagine a world without music. I use it for therapy and exercise; meditation and just for fun. It is so healing and fulfilling, that it pains me to realize our children won't have the opportunity to be introduced to this art form without paying through the nose. And, without music classes in school, there can be no introduction to other than "top 40" tunes. This knowledge makes me sad. But, not all children are so deprived, and I am determined to introduce my future grandchildren to every type of music there is. I have very eclectic taste in everything, including music.

I created a few musical highlights in my singing career along the way. The most memorable was the Holly Near song, "Strong", that I sang a ccappella at my brother, Paul's, funeral Mass in Newton. Singing in Mary Immaculate Catholic Church was so powerful for me, and such a moving experience for everyone in attendance. My late father told me afterwards that he never knew I could sing like that. This compliment made me very happy. On several other occasions, I was known for jumping up on stage in nightclubs if an invitation by the band was offered to sing with the lead vocalist or as backup. I also jumped in with a young band at a party given at the Natick Elks club during a rendition of the Rolling Stones song, "Honky Tonk Woman". They weren't harmonizing the chorus, and it made me crazy. I just jumped in front of the empty microphone next to the lead singer and finished the song with him. After, he told me how great that was and I could jump in anytime. It was so much fun. Also, I get requests for, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" by Crystal Gayle when I sing karaoke.

I pray I will always be able to sing. I have to admit, my throat hurts today, and I was "froggy" after each concert this weekend. But Beth, the conductor, gave me a tip when in a semi-panic at dress rehearsal I asked her for advice about soothing my ever-increasingly dry and irritated throat. She suggest cutting a big hunk of fresh ginger root into a pot of water and boiling it good. Then keep drinking it with a little honey and don't talk. The tea was wonderful, and I mostly didn't talk. It seemed to help during the concerts, so I'll keep making it whether I sing or not.

Straining my throat is going to hurt whether I find something soothing to drink or not. Now with a long road trip to look forward to later today, I'll get the chance to do just that. Not talk, and listen to music along the way. South Carolina Lakehouse: here we come! La, la, la...