Mother's Day and Gift of Music

I want to share with you one of the most precious gifts my mother ever gave me: the gift of music. You may not have known this, but my mother was a musician. Growing up, she played the saxophone and sang in the choir. My mother had a beautiful singing voice, although she did not sing publicly. She passed on her legacy to my sister and me by introducing us to music. I chose drums and percussion. My sister chose flute. My parents signed us up with music lessons. Mom took me to study with Mary Lynn Norman. As a result of those wonderful women, I managed to survive band camp and band classes. Without the gift of music, I would have never learned how to play steel drums. I took home medals in district and state competitions and after graduation, managed to continue performing music in college. Because of Mom and Mary Lynn's persuasion and support, I broke barriers. I was the first female drummer to accompany Penn High School's Chamber choir. I was the part of the first all-female rhythm section and one of the first female jazz drummers at Manchester College. The gift of music transcended college. I performed miscellaneous gigs throughout my twenties and played with cool folk music performers such as Evie Barton, Bryan Edington, and Susan Urban. I also incorporated drumming and music in my career as a librarian, through hosting and participating in drum circles, story hours (putting drums to stories), and performances for children. Recently, in the last two years, I started performing at Cornerstone (contemporary gospel) with Steve Dahlgren, Don Martin and Kris Behr, first on conga drums and then to the drumset. It's been a positive experience. So, Mom's gift of music lives on through me. I will use this gift as long as I can use my hands and feet to perform and inspire others. Thank you, Mom.