In the Key of Roses...
I started playing piano by ear when I was four (and I have a cassette of me at that age doing it to
prove it!). I have always loved the piano best - to me it is the most expressive of instruments; by turns
taking you to heights of fantasy, depths of despondency, the edge of rage, the pang of sorrow, the surge of hope.
It has always been my main composing instrument.
Surprisingly, though, I wrote my first real song on guitar.
I was 14, it was the summer of 1981, and I'd been back from music camp for a week, missing the boyfriend I'd met there
terribly. So I sat down with my guitar (he'd played, so I felt it was right..) and wrote out my first song, complete
with lyrics and vocal harmonies. Seventeen years and almost 700 songs later, I still feel good about what I do, and
I still love to write when inspiration strikes me.
I've been in four bands so far. Back when I was still in high school, some friends and I formed a band called
Euphoria. We came up with this great logo, too! (I'll scan a copy and get it in here, it was pretty neat, we thought!)
We would practice at least 3-4 times a week, and in the year or so we were together, we played two gigs. Yes, only two!
One of them was the Junior Variety Show at my high school my senior year. The other one was at a summer camp for 7th
and 8th graders. But the most important things were, we worked hard, and still had a great time!
My second band also started in high school; Company. This was almost a complete opposite. We played once or twice
a month, and only practiced on the afternoon of the gig. It was a much more professional group. I was with them
from about 1984 through 1987. We played wedding receptions, company parties, club parties, and once we played
for our local Festival of the Arts. They were a great group of people.
I joined up with a third band, Albatross, sometime around 1985 or so. I think it would have worked out really well;
they were good people, had a great set list, and lots of paying gigs. But when they handed me a 3-ring notebook full
of sheet music and asked me to learn it in a week for a gig, I had to step down. Since then, I've gotten a lot better!
Since those days, I've worked mostly as a solo artist. I've done over one hundred weddings, I've worked at parties, awards events,
church events, as well as having written some commissioned works. But my main focus has become church music. In 1991, I was asked
to become the director of the adult choir at my home church. In 1995, I interviewed for the directorship at another church. So I
am currently the director of two church choirs. During the summer of 1997, the second church started a Worship and Praise team, and
I was the music director, keyboardist, and one of the singers. After 14 consecutive months, I had to step down with regret. But what
a great experience it was! I enjoy my church work very much, and hope to continue as long as I can.
By far the most important thing is my songwriting. I've done commissioned works for dance, performance, and video. I've also recently
received an offer to do a "jingle" package for a local radio station. My goal is to score movies. I've written something in almost
every genre of music. The only areas I tend to stay away from are country/western and really acid rock 'n roll.
My works range from orchestral symphony arrangements to ballads, to R&B, hip-hop, pop, rock,
adult contemporary, contemporary Christian, new age instrumentals, to hymns and choral works. Writing is my great passion, and I'm thankful
for the gifts I've been given to express it.
Thank you for visiting this part of the site. I'm always happy to share about music! If you'd like to drop me a line, my email link
is below. Always remember; God has blessed us all in a special way.
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