Music has been a big part of my life since the single digits – allegedly there is a tape recording of me singing “Achy Breaky Heart” from when I was about seven. Needless to say, I will never forgive Billy Ray Cyrus for making this a fact. My elementary classmates complaints’ to the teacher about my incessant humming, to absentmindedly drumming on my desk in high school… it’s been ever present.
From chorus in almost every year of school where it was available, to being asked to switch classes to be able to join the Varsity Choir at Norview High School in my sophomore year. Every step of the way, it was there, whether I was in a position to embrace it, or had tried to push down to focus on other “more important” things – it never stayed quiet for long.
As often as I heard I “might as well not waste time” and how I’d learned exactly what to expect after “well that’s nice that you are passionate about this … BUT” – I still always had a dream to make music a bigger part of my life. I kept getting drawn back to the stage, over and over. Some of the darker points in my life have always been with the absence of music to a greater degree. I am no longer wanting, or willing, to put myself in that position if I have any choice in it. A botched open-call audition for The Voice back in 2018/19 had dealt a blow that would take years and a lot of outside support to really undo.
But, just last year – after a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments/surgery – I took some time to look at what is really important to me. In doing so I figured out that I just want to do what makes and has always made me happy – music. This epiphany, along with continuing encouragement and the most sincere enthusiasm from Minerva – has led to me taking her up on the offer to join the adventure with The Musical Muse and Co.
While I am still recovering, in more than one way, and am hoping to find an even deeper understanding and appreciation for music and song in general – I hope to be able to bring smiles and fond memories to all those I meet. Whether at a weeknight karaoke or through an event booked with MM&Co. – I can’t wait to share what we come up with along the way.
To quote a great man (playing an insane man on T.V.) – “Well, I don’t know how many years on this Earth I got left – I’m gonna get real weird with it”. Here’s to getting weird and having fun doing it!
