My Love of Music

I think my love of music started at a very early age as both my Mum and Dad were always very musically minded.

My Dad is a big fan of jazz/big band music and as a keen musician has played in many bands over the years. He also spends a lot of time arranging/composing music for some of the bands/soloists he knows.

On the other hand, my Mum's side of the family grew up attending the Salvation Army and as such were heavily involved in both the singing groups and the bands - My grandfather having been the leader of the first singing group (Songsters) at Rutherglen corps!

I remember when I was very young, climbing up on the piano stool beside my Dad while he "tried out" some of his arrangements/compositions - Apparently I was a "great help"!

As soon as I turned seven I started piano lessons and continued this for a number of years, going through the exams up to Grade 8. It wasn't always easy but thankfully I stuck at it.

Although having been taken along to the Salvation Army at Rutherglen from a very early age, and giving my heart to Jesus at age seven, I never joined the junior band (Young People's Band) until I was about 11 or 12 as my piano lessons were the same night as the learners class! Even when I did initially join it was to play percussion!!!

After a short while I was given a trombone, a short lesson on how to hold it, blow into it and the various slide positions for the notes and the rest is history as they say! That was my one and only trombone lesson (and yes I know that explains a lot!) - My Dad and one of my cousins both being trombone players, then became the source of the rest of my trombone training.

Between learning the piano and trombone, I also learned to play clarinet, although I did continue to play my clarinet for a number of years, I'm afraid it's now been a while since I last played it.

After all this while I was still at Rutherglen Salvation Army, age 18, I became a uniform wearing Salvationist - during this time still in the Singing Company (junior choir) and  YP Band (junior band), but also joined the Songsters (senior choir) and Senior Band. Not long after becoming a Salvationist I became pianist for the Singing Company (junior choir), and then also for the Songsters (senior choir). A little later I took on the roll of Deputy Songster Leader and a little later again followed in my grandfather's footsteps by taking on the roll of Songster Leader for about two and a half years. After a short break from the Songsters I took on roll of Songster pianist for the second time. I also following in my Dad's footsteps, by composing several songs for the songsters and arranging music for several soloist.

In 2002 I transferred to Bellshill Salvation Army where I'm a member of the Senior Band.

So there you go, that's my musical background! Having had a grounding in music from an early age, I've also found music to be a very important part of my life and especially my Christian life. I've found over the years in so many situations that a piece of music or a song can say more to me than anything another person can say. Music seems to be able to touch my heart and emotions to a greater extent than anything else, so I do treasure the times when I get to just sit and listen to music.

So what's my favourite music?

That's very hard to say, because I often find it depends greatly on how I feel at the time I'm asked! I love a very wide variety of music and style, however it may not surprise you when I list several Christian or Salvation Army songs/pieces of music as my favourites:

- Lord I Come To You (The Power of Your Love)

- The Light of the World

- Just As I Am

- Milestone


I've used it before but here's an video of Lord I come To You which I find inspiring and emotional from the start of the video:

Music of the Heart

Psalm 101:1
I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.

Have you ever been sitting in church or at a music concert and someone sitting beside or behind you is singing along very loudly to the music? Not only that but have been singing along very untunefully or very out of time?

I think we've all encountered a situation like that at some time or another, so what did you think? Did you laugh? Did you wih they'd stop singing?

Again I guess those are reactions we've all had in this type of circumstance.

But what do you think God is thinking about your own singing?
Are you a great singer, not the best but can hold a tune or realy can't hold a tune at all?

Well whatever kind of singer you are, good or bad, God will be listening to you! Is that scary?! But God is not bottered whether you can sing or not, what He is interested in is whether you have a song in your heart. In other words, God doesn't want us just to go through the motions of life. He doesn't want us to be hypocrites, He'd rather we couldn't sing but sang the words from our heart with true feeling and belief! God wants us to sing with conviction, to sing from experience and belief in His Name.

So sing from your heart, and sing as loud as you want!

When You Are Near

I've had another day of feeling extremely tired and sore again. So I've turned to my usual musical therapy to lift my spirits. So today I just want to share another one of the songs which I find helpful - When You Are Near by Jeremy Camp.

The Power of the Cross

Music has always been a very big part of my life both in my family life and in my Christian life. I must admit to always having found it very difficult to tell others about my Christianity, not because I'm ashamed of it in any way, but simply because I find it very hard to find the right words that really express the emotion I feel about my faith.

It's probably these reasons that have meant that however I'm feeling I tend to turn to music to express my feelings. Yesterday I'd intended sharing with you one of my favourite Easter songs, but as you will be aware from my blog post yesterday, events at our morning service directed me to "talk" about Zimbabwe instead.

I came across this song a year or two ago, and so far I have found no other song that allows the listener to truly feel the emotion and the importance of the cross where our Lord was crucified - The song is entitled "The Power of the Cross".

So at the end of this Easter period, I'd like to invite you to watch the video of this song which is accompanied by a very powerful presentation. I am sure you'll be moved by the words, music and the pictures, just as I am every time I watch/listen to it.



The Power of the Cross (written by Keith Getty)

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

You can find further details about Keith & Kristyn Getty at there website: http://www.gettymusic.com/