Music Comes to Life!

I've been thinking this week about my experience with music. In many ways, my relationship to music has been much like my relationship with the church. But I will get to that later. Do you remember when you first learned about music? Do you remember when you developed a love for music?

I remember very early on in elementary school we had a teacher named Mrs. Cotton. She had to have been like 90 years old. Ok, well, maybe not 90 but she DID teach my mom when she was in school which seemed to make her ancient. To be honest, I can't remember exactly what she looked like but I remember her having big hair and pointy glasses. She would have us sit in rows in music class and take out our music education books (DREADFUL). She would tap out a rhythm and we would lifelessly tap in echo. We sang songs that were boring and, even in second grade, seemed completely dumb. Mrs. Cotton was the first person to introduce me to some of the theory behind music.

Then, on a warm day in August when I was in the third grade, Mrs. Jones came to replace Mrs. Cotton. Mrs. Jones was young. She had a Dorothy Hamill haircut. She was totally rad. Mrs. Jones taught the curriculum she was given...but would typically venture off the page toward the end of each class. Mrs. Jones knew chords to almost every popular song. You could hear third graders rockin' out to the songs from "Grease", "The Muppet Movie" and other quality films. She had us learning rhythms by doing things outside the box...like square dancing. She planned special programs with songs from the 50's and 60's. She directed an entire night of Disney music in one of our school shows. Mrs. Jones rocked my face off.

Because of Mrs. Jones, I fell in love with music. I loved how it felt to sing at the top of my lungs and express. I even loved some of the boring stuff..because it was never boring with her. That next fall I auditioned for my first big show..."The Music Man" at ACU. They were needing kids and my mom took me. That was, ahem... a long time ago. I'll never forget that experience. I was bitten.

Over the years I have had both kinds of music teachers. I've learned good things from all of them. They built on that early foundation...for when one learns to love music, it is half the battle. I learned sight reading from Jack Boyd (as did many others in the small church I grew up in). He wasn't afraid to lead brand new songs frequently...encouraging us to read the music and sing along. I learned more theory from Debby Milstead, Steven Nelms and Louis Thornton. Then, hearkening back to my secret love for Mrs. Jones, a brilliant woman entered my life when I was a young adult. Jeannette Lipford was a voice professor at ACU. She was hip. She was smart. She knew her stuff.

To measure the influence Jeannette has had in the lives of her students is virtually impossible. Her students never forget her. Even Amy Grant chartered a plane and flew to Abilene with Vince Gill to honor her. Jeannette is part teacher, part counselor, and part spiritual director. She has been the vocal director for the last 30+ years of astounding musical productions at ACU. This year's show, "All Shook Up", marked her final Homecoming musical as vocal director. I am pretty sure there was a groan heard 'round the world. She and her husband, Harold, have had (and STILL have) a significant impact on my life. Harold even spoke at my father's funeral. She again instilled a deep love for music and reinforced in me the notion that God had given me that tool to communicate with Him. Powerful!

There've been others. There have been artists like The Eagles, James Taylor, Amy Grant, Restless Heart, and Chicago who fueled my passions and taught me nuances along the way. There are friends like Jeff Nelson who helped me go deeper in a connection with what I was singing and what I was feeling. There have been other people who have been an encouragement. Maybe most recently, my wife. Sheryl has the unique gift of interpreting a song. I've never heard anyone better. Each of them has a spot in my heart's musical hall of fame. It's cool to think back on my scrapbook of musical memories.

I'm curious...who are some of your musical heroes? Which teachers or friends or bands taught you love for music?