I HEAR MUSIC

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Yes, "I hear music -mighty fine music" - it sings in my head and lightens my heart.
Today there were eight of my MUSIC FRIENDS here from 10:00 a.m. until nearly 2:00 p.m. Over coffee, fruit and home baked treats there was talk of where the program is headed - and we still don't know. What we do know is that we are strong together when we play for one another. SO today, I heard a lot of beautiful music played on my Prestige. Among eight or nine people who were here today, the organs in their various homes are Prestige, Royale, Premiere, Legacy, Encore, Century, and Jamboree. Everyone who owns an older or smaller organ has to re-adapt their music to my Prestige. It is a good way to "stretch" our skills to play on different instruments.
When we play at Truslow Adult Daycare, we play a Century, and when we play at the Maine Veterans' Home it is on the Premiere. All are Lowrey organs but all quite different.

One way to move from organ to organ is to make sticky notes with the arrangements. They won't permanently mark the page, and they can be changed from organ to organ.
The newest Lowrey organs have USB sticks which will not work for presets in the older organs so "nag-notes" are important in preparing to play for others.

Next week, May 29, we will be participating in a Community Yard Sale in South Portland. Last year we participated for the first time and felt very satisfied to make nearly $200. We have a wider variety of "merchandise" this year and look forward to bringing in a fair amount of dollars. Money from our treasury will go to charitable use to be decided when we know what we have to work with.

The week after next, June 5, we will gather at Joyce's home in Steep Falls.

The more people who come, the more I feel we are staying together and making the limited time at the studio work for us. AS for what is going on at the studio - I really don't know. Everyone seems to have a different idea about what is happening and what will transpire as time goes on. It is midway through a "10-week session" so only time will tell.

MORE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC -
Cameron Carpenter, who has performed at the local Merrill Auditorium on the Kotschmar organ, has a wonderful website. It shows him playing the organ and doing a large part of the piece with only foot pedals. I am sure if you Google Cameron Carpenter you can view and listen to it. He is one of America's current outstanding organists.

"Beautiful" songs -
Beautiful Dreamer
Beautiful Boy
Beautiful Friendship, A
Beautiful In My Eyes
Beautiful Isle of Somewhere
Beautiful Morning ( It's A)
Beautiful Savior
Beautiful Sea
Beauty and the Beast

Keep a beautiful song in your heart and keep the music playing.

Janice