I have been trying to get reconnected with various people since recently getting online. In looking through the UD Music sites, I began to reminisce about those years in music theory classes. I now have children and piano students of my own and they all eventually hear the "what do you call these lines that indicate a suspension?--SUSPENDERS!" story.
After moving to California in 1986, I worked at a state facility for the criminally insane. A lot of good music therapy was done (and still is) there. I learned much about setting small goals and relishing the slightest accomplishments. My husband received his doctorate in psychology and we moved to Louisiana in 1991. I then worked in an early intervention program--first as a home therapist and then as the coordinator of the therapy program.
While expecting our third child, we decided it was time for me to be a stay-at-home mom. Of course, taking care of three little girls didn't keep me busy enough. I became certified as a Jazzercise instructor and began my own business--dragging the girls with me at all times. I also began offering piano lessons in my home and started composing music for our church where I am the organist and special occasions choir director.
My first crack at composition, however, came in response to a need by the early intervention program. The organization conducts a two day radiothon each year. In '95 they needed a theme song and asked me to compose one. A recording artist in Lafayette, LA , with the help of a local children's choir. recorded the song, "Make a Change." Everyone involved in the production donated their time and the resulting CD got a lot of air time locally. Anyway, once I was bitten by that bug, I just had to continue. It was as if another door in my head had been unlocked and everything stored there was clambering to escape.