"Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die." ~Paul Simon
Isn't that a great quote? I like the word picture of music growing and maturing and following me through life. As I look back through my life I can hear the music that has followed me and each song is attached to a memory or special time in my life. I also like what Tennessee Williams said:
It's like our memories are set to some fabulous soundtrack. So what is your soundtrack? What songs do you attach to your memories? I thought it would be fun to list some of the greatest hits on my memory soundtrack. (Feel free to read AND listen/watch or you can skip all the videos. I just got started and couldn't stop. It was so much fun!) Enjoy!"In memory everything seems to happen to music."
"In His Time" - This is the first song I ever sang as a solo in church. I stood on the stage of FBC Guthrie and sang this precious song when I was about 5 years old. Dad was the minister of music at the time and I had to turn around and look at him once because I forgot the words. What a great memory . . . "Lord, my life to you I bring. May each song I have to sing be to you a lovely thing. In your time."
"Rainbow Connection" - THIS is the song that I remember from elementary music (this and H-A-double L-O-W-double E-N spells Halloween). It must have had a huge impact for me to choose music education as my career. I can still see the classroom where we had music. The wood paneled walls, the folding chairs and the words to "Rainbow Connection" written on chart paper on the wall. Every time we went to music I wanted to sing that song. I'm sure that when we did I was "that" student who sang louder than everyone else!
"Lost In Your Eyes" - Okay, all you closet Debbie Gibson fans . . . come out, come out wherever you are! When I was in the 6th grade my family moved from Pryor to Grove and my 6th grade class at Lincoln Elementary got me the Debbie Gibson "Out of the Blue" cassette tape for a going away gift. I was thrilled! I could probably still sing most of the songs on that tape, but I will just share my favorite.
"The Right Stuff" - From Debbie Gibson to New Kids on the Block! Wow! Middle School must have been crazy. I hate to admit, but NKOTB was the first concert I ever went to. I was one of hundreds of screaming teeny-boppers who thought those guys were all that and a bag of chips! That memory should give me a new perspective on all my Justin Beiber fans at school. HA!
"El Shaddai" - Ahhh . . . Amy, dear, Amy. So many songs to choose from but I think I sang this one as much as any other when I was in the 9th and 10th grade. Of course, I probably didn't sing all the words correctly, but neither did anyone else so it didn't really matter. Some other favorites: Thy Word, Breath of Heaven, Baby Baby, etc. etc.
"In Heaven's Eyes" - Sandi Patty . . . her songs span at least a decade in my memory. This particular song was one I loved singing and would always imagine I sounded "just like Sandi." What an amazing instrument God gave her. I have so many favorites but here are just a few: Love in any Language, More Than Wonderful, We Shall Behold Him, etc. etc.
"Jesus Will Still Be There" - Point of Grace . . . I saw these girls when they were still calling themselves Say So. I probably still have the cassette tape somewhere. Nevertheless, they are an icon of my high school years. I sang this song many times and still think it is powerful. "When it looks like you've lost it all, and you haven't got a prayer, Jesus will still be there." This is just one of my many POG favorites including "This Day" which I sang at my high school graduation.
"Softly and Tenderly" - Cynthia Clawson sang this one. It is so powerful! Mom thought I needed to sing this, so my senior year of high school I learned it and it soon became one of my "standards." I loved and still love to sing this song. "Come home, come home. Ye who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling. Calling, oh sinner, come home."
"Shout to the Lord" - This song is kind of the anthem for my college years. It was during these years that I started to truly understand worship and what that looks like for me. My time at OBU was a huge blessing for me and I am so grateful that God gave me the experiences and memories that I have of those years. "Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing. Power and majesty, praise to the king. Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name . . . "
"Crucified with Christ" - This Phillips, Craig and Dean song was the theme song for our cabin at Falls Creek one year (thank you Brent Hazelrigg) and it was so powerful. I can still remember being in the cabin for devotion time and hearing everyone singing these words with their whole heart. What a tremendous moving of God. "For I am crucified with Christ, not I but Christ that lives within me. His cross will never ask for more than I can give, for it's not my strength but his. There's no greater sacrifice for I am crucified with Christ and yet I live."
My college years were filled with music and I could go on forever listing songs and artists and memories from that era in my life. However, if I pause and think about one song that sticks with me and will forever bring a smile to my face, joy to my heart and tears to my eyes, I have to remember "A Gaelic Blessing" by John Rutter. The Chorale ended every concert with this piece. Every spring we would have an end-of-the-year party for the Chorale and it would always conclude with singing Gaelic Blessing one last time for the seniors. That is one of my greatest memories of all time.
"Who Am I" - Moving into my "young professional/single" years, I was an avid Watermark fan. This is one of my favorites but I could probably name at least ten more of their songs that would fall on the top of my list. "Who am I, that you would love me so gently. Who am I, that you would recognize my name. Who am I, that you would speak to me so softly. Conversation with the love Most High. Who am I?"
"How Could I Ask For More" - June 21, 2003 - One of the greatest days of my life. That is the day I became Mrs. Kevin Howze. Music was a big part of my wedding and I wanted it to be special. Well, I don't know how I pulled it off, but I surprised Kevin and sang this song to him during our wedding. I think he was pretty stunned and overwhelmed. Personally, I can't believe I was able to squeak it out without crying. I'm so glad I sang it. The words were so appropriate to how I felt then and even more today. "So many things I thought would bring me happiness. Some dreams that are realities today. Such an irony the things that mean the most to me are the memories I've made along the way . . . So thank you Lord, how could I ask for more?"
"When I Close My Eyes" - This piece written by Jim Papoulis is one I have done with my school honor choir several times. As a music teacher I obviously believe that music can reach people in a way that nothing else can. The explanation that Mr. Papoulis wrote to go with the song is very moving and I wanted to share it before sharing the song because in my job, I teach kids just like those that he is speaking of and they are the reason I do what I do.
"It seems to me now that we are all struggling with an increasing amount of negative influences in the lives of children. They are bombarded by information that ultimately erodes their sense of self. In the classroom, in the rehearsal hall, I have been fortunate to speak with children from diverse cultures and backgrounds. I have heard their songs and their silences, and what they have shared has made me clearly see that in order for a child to feel strength and to believe in themselves, it must come from within. 'When I close my eyes then I can see, and I am not afraid.'" - Jim Papoulis
(This is kind of a strange video, but it was the only one I could find that I thought sounded good.)
It's been an interesting journey, but hopefully you have enjoyed the musical ride. I could have included so many more songs but these are just a few to maybe get your wheels turning about what music your memories are set to. What is your soundtrack? It's actually kind of fun when you get started, but beware because it is hard to stop! So as I bring this post to a close I guess I must choose one last song on this musical journey. It was a hard choice, but I think this song sums it up nicely. It also helps me keep in perspective what is really important.
"The Stage is Bare" - This is probably not one of Sandi Patty's most well-known songs, but I think it is one of her most powerful. The image of standing on a stage with no one to hear you except the Heavenly Father just takes my breath away. "It was so easy to call you Lord when a thousand voices sang your praise. But there's no one to hear me now. So hear me now, be near me now." I spend so much of my life in front of people. That is the nature of my job and the talents that God has gifted me with, but if I ever reach a point when I forget that He is the only audience that matters I have lost perspective on all that is important. May my heart stay pure before Him and may my worship be for Him alone.
I pray that the soundtrack of your life brings happy memories, poignant moments and powerful worship for the one true God. Blessings to you all!
Music is what life sounds like. ~Eric Olson
