Find personal musical voice

By Rebecca Petersen | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, January 12, 2008

Music comes to us in so many ways. The human voice, for instance — whispering, talking, shouting, whistling, humming, singing. There are so many types of singers — opera, country, classical, folk, jazz, etc. There are soloists and there are choruses. Then there are story tellers who can weave together lengthy tales and ideas and mesmerize you with their voices and expression. And actors whose voices can be shrill, or soothing or jubilant or even downright frightening.

At Open Mic last Thursday night, I spent a lot of time “listening.” I just sat there and listened. There is always so much talent that comes to the surface at that microphone.

And what lovely voices — whether they are reading their poetry, singing their songs, or telling their stories.

So, if you’re one of those people who has told me you love music but you can’t sing, think again. You have that musical voice inside of you and it comes pouring out every time you open your mouth.

Or maybe you’re even humming or whistling aloud or silently. In fact, I hear Rena whistling in the office next door this very moment. Earlier this morning a friend e-mailed that she was humming inside every time she looked at that beautiful blue spruce outside her office window.

We’ve been watching a lot of foreign films this week and the music of those other languages is also music to my ears.

I loved the Bergman film “Smiles of A Summer Night,” which was in Swedish with subtitles, but my new favorite is “Vitus,” set in Switzerland, in German with subtitles.

It’s an amazing account of a child genius who has learned to play the piano (plus fly airplanes) incredibly well.

The story is awesome, but so is the kid who plays the part of Vitus and who actually plays the piano throughout — including a concerto performance with a symphony orchestra at the conclusion. Wow. Great story. Great music.

Our Winter Film Series will kick off the end of January. Who knows, maybe we’ll have to show Vitus.

So, back to our voices and music. This week Ann Newell and I will start a new series of Early Childhood Music Classes. They meet on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at The Kaddatz Hotel. We talked about focusing on all kinds of musical voices and human voices as a focal point for young children.

Also, last fall’s Talk of the Town has got us talking (and whispering) about Center Saturdays — focusing our attention on downtown Saturday events at the Center and beyond.

Last Saturday we featured violinist, Neal Page and Guests in recital. The first Saturday in February it’s Frostbite Follies, with new acts and old favorite Vaudeville acts.

Find your musical voice this week and bring it down to auditions for our 2008 Razzle Dazzle Revue. Auditions are Jan. 14 and 15, Monday at 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 7 p.m. Performances are April 4, 5, and 6, again under the direction of Scott Brusven.

Rebecca Petersen is the director of A Center for the Arts.