Ever suddenly have one of those songs go through your head ?

Just in one of those moods....

The Castle Lady



Birthdays...

We have to have them but they can be a lot of fun.





Just add some music.

The Castle Lady
now that's a picnic !





Notes from a Flute Fanatic

     Unless you are on LinkedIn or know me extremely well you won't know that I, among many other occupations and avocations, am a highly trained, professional flutist besides being an operatically trained singer. Yes, that's right. I'm a genuine diva from the tender age of eleven. My mother told me that I sang from my crib! Are you shocked? Well, it's true that for the past decade I have spent most of my time writing when life isn't calling me away to the mundane things in life like sleeping, eating and cleaning a house. However, I don't think I could get through a single day without music being a large part of it. Even my family thinks I might be sick when they hear no noise coming from me or around me when I'm awake.

     Fluting was a latecomer to my life- relatively speaking. When I lived in San Diego in the 80s I received a brand new Yamaha flute with a silver head for my birthday in the mail! I was intrigued and tried to play it on my own without much luck. I called a music store that I liked a lot and asked for the person who gave flute lessons and the rest is kind of boring history when it comes to the machinations of my early training. I did progress very quickly- to the pleasure of my teacher, Rosalind Roberts, because she didn't have to teach me to read music along with getting to the finer points of getting a good sound.  

     The best teacher I had during my learning period was a woman by the name of Julia Elliot. She was a professor at Denver University's Lamont School of Music and I remember at some point going to her lecture for her thesis when she received her credentials for a masters degree in music. She was one of these people that was basically a student of life besides being at the top at her profession. With her help I feel like I achieved a sound to my flute playing that I would never have accomplished otherwise. I was a natural to play the flute because my lips were structured well to play the flute. Herself ? She struggled in the early days because her lips were all wrong. When she showed me the difference in the mirror I was astounded that she had figured this out and is also a clear illustration of how she analyzed and thought things through to find solutions to problems and confusing aspects of just about everything. We had some great conversations during my lessons which didn't limit us to just talking about the flute or music in general.

     When I started taking courses at Metro State University in Denver I inevitably took flute lessons from the professor there and he liked the sound I had achieved and never messed with it. There were a couple of sax and horn professors that said they didn't like it (my sound) but both Garnett and I felt they were just jealous because my sound was unique and no other flute player in the whole department could match my full, hoot-y sound. Not even he could do my sound.

     At some point I became a member of the NFA- the National Flute Association- and have been able to connect with a wonderful bunch of people. There is something special about being a flutist that no one can tell you about. If you have to be a flutist then you have to join, even if you can't be at every single convention every year. This instrument covers so many genres that I have been able to pick up just about any music I like and play the flute somewhere inside the musical bars. I feel that I am a very well-rounded musician because of the versatility of the instrument and its portability has made it possible for me to carry it with me wherever I wander. It's a truly marvelous companion in a world that doesn't understand the need for immediate music gratification.    

     Currently I like to do session playing. I started doing that when I went to play for a small church back in 1995 for their praise and worship team which consisted of a piano-playing pastor's wife, Judy, another keyboard player, two guitarists- acoustic and electric- and the pastor on tambourine. I just threw myself into it and was amazed that the music in my throat moved to my fingers, especially since I took piano lessons as a kid and never did very well at it. Only once in a while I would sing solos but I was heavily encouraged to do so.

     If you don't play a musical instrument and you think you shouldn't then you can take this as good advice. Don't impoverish your life by thinking that you need to be a rock star to make a joyful noise. There is something very therapeutic about listening to music but also when you create it. If you don't believe me then just try it. Think of a particular instrument that you find fascinating or you especially like, go buy one and take lessons. Even if you have only limited success you'll still enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams because you reached out to make a contribution to the world around you and you have a chance to join in with the most fantastic people in the world. Musicians.

Still having fun after all these years,

The Castle Lady 

       

You'll love this...

I just discovered a band called Fitz and the Tantrums and thought I'd share. Hopefully there will be a whole slew of new articles this summer. My subject was Women in Rock and I intend to glut the internet with them on this blog.
Soon....

The Castle Lady

Jack O'Hearts

During and after WWI and II, in the U.S., there was a bit of a counter culture on the streets of New York which were well illuminated by Damon Runyan in his stories which he wrote in the east coast vernacular. The play and movie Guys and Dolls was extracted from many of these stories and I highly recommend any book you can find which is filled with all these stories he wrote about the times. These lyrics were a part of one of his stories, titled, The Lily of St. Pierre. Check out the link and then sing along....

http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/theresalonglongtrailawinding.htm

There's a Long, Long Trail A-Winding

Nights are growing very lonely,
Days are very long;
I'm a-growing weary only
Listening for your song.
Old remembrances are thronging
Thro' my memory.
'Til it seems the world is full of dreams
Just to call you back to me.

Chorus:
There's a long, long trail a-winding
Into the land of my dreams,
Where the nightingales are singing
And a white moon beams:
There's a long, long night of waiting
Until my dreams all come true;
'Til the day when I'll be going down
That long, long trail with you.

All night long I hear you calling,
Calling sweet and low;
Seem to hear your footsteps falling,
Every where I go.
Though' the road between us stretches
Many a weary mile.
I forget that you're not with me yet,
When I think I see you smile.

Chorus:
There's a long, long trail a-winding
Into the land of my dreams,
Where the nightingales are singing
And a white moon beams:
There's a long, long night of waiting
Until my dreams all come true;
Till the day when I'll be going down
That long, long trail with you

With twenty-five bobs worth a kisses,

The Castle Lady

Angels singing...

I just had to post this because it was too appropriate to my current situation. Sometimes you just have to let things be for awhile. If you want to stay sane, that is...

love is the last thing to go
Love is the reason
we happened at all
And it paid for
all the damage we done
And it bought us
the freedom to fall into grace
On our way to our place in the sun.
    - Kris Kristofferson

With love from

The Castle Lady

Keep Singing a Song

Wisdom from Elvis...

Without a song the day will never end...

Without a song a man ain't got a friend...

Without a song the road will never bend...

          without a song

So I keep singing a song...

The Castle Lady

still sings...

Happy 78th Birthday to the King, Baby !

Elvis still reigns...

Long live the King of Rock and Roll !

The Castle Lady