Christmas Music and the Holidays

Well my how time flies. It has been a while since I have posted here. As I am sitting here waiting for work to call and confirm what I already know, that the 8 inches of snow on the ground and still falling is enough to cancel work tomorrow, I am listening to the sounds of the season presented by a trombone player that I found on the web the other week (Keith Bilinsky at www.bebop.ca/index.html excellent trombone Christmas music!). As I am sitting here listening to these sounds, I am just thinking about what the music means to me especially at this time of year. My tastes tend to run towards more traditional Christmas carols (Silent Night, O Holy Night, etc). However, no matter what a person's musical tastes are, this season allows everyone to experience their tastes.

Like I said, my tastes tend to favor the more lyrical, melodic lines. O Holy Night if done right will bring chills to my spine. Even if done poorly, it still is nice to listen to. Silent Night is always a favorite. Coventry Carol tops my list too. I am fond of Bing Crosby singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" or Nat King Cole's rendition of "The Christmas Song". Working with my students over the last month and a half, I have found that they have their favorites. My fourth grade trumpet student wanted "The Twelve Days of Christmas" to be able to play for her holiday concert. That one took some time to arrange for her ability and even still we started on the 12th day. I guess that my point to all of this is that music is an integral part of our lives during this time of year.

In light of that revelation, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas with your families, friends and loved ones. Happy New Year to all of you as well. May you enjoy this holiday season and enjoy the music that goes along with it. Until next year, may the music lift your heart and take you to new places to sail.

God bless.

Doug