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:

An Emotional Day

I had my post for today all planned out yesterday, but given my day today I've felt led to share something different with you today.

This morning I attended our morning worship (at Bellshill Salvation Army) feeling quite together and looking forward to the service. What I did not expect was to find myself in emotional turmoil within a few minutes of the meeting starting.

It all started with the song our Singing Company (junior choir) sang - there was only seven of them this morning but they sang so beautifully. I just about pulled myself together by the end of the prayer which followed the Singing Company, only to find the Songsters (our senior choir) were singing a song which always touches me..."Written In Red".

Before I go any further I should point out at to me falling apart in public, is my worst nightmare! So imagine how I felt when before they even reached the first chorus, the tears were streaming down my face! I was so uncomfortable that I ended up having to go out of our service for a wee while to compose myself again - I find it very uncomfortable when others can see I'm upset.

I've included the first version I ever heard of this song which was by the International Staff Songsters of the Salvation Army.



Just to round things off for me, when I got into my car to go home, after the meeting, the first song that came on from the CD I was playing in the car, was "His Strength Is Perfect" which just reminded again that "His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. He'll carry us when we can't carry on. Raised in his power the weak becomes strong. His strength is perfect".



The words of this song, were just the reminder I needed!

My day has continued to be an emotional one, but I continue to be reminded that God is my strength today, and in the coming days.