Beat of a Different Drummer

When I was growing up, I longed for musical talent. I was in the chorus in grade school but in the 5th grade, they very kindly told me that I wasn't quite what they were looking for. I was crushed.

You see, musical talent runs in my family. Various family members can play all sorts of instruments and sing beautifully. My cousin, Tim, is a tenor who can make you cry. I'm pretty sure my niece, Morgan, has the gift. What I did get is a love for music. Most kinds, really. Except maybe rap. And I can tolerate country music, if I must.

Even though I don't have the voice of an angel, I still sing. There are 3 times when I feel it's safe for me to sing: when I'm with my nieces and nephew, when I'm vacuuming, and when I'm on my bike. Often, I'll hear music coming from a car and start singing along with it. Sometimes, I'll sing favorite songs - Nina Simone, Sheryl Crow, The Cure's Love Cats. Yesterday, to my horror and for some unknown yet tortorous reason, I was humming the Chicken Dance as I rode to work. No, I wasn't drunk. It just popped into my head and I couldn't get it out!

There are a few pieces of music that I can feel. I don't just hear it with my ears. Like Gershwin's Summertime or Ravel's Bolero. If I'm having trouble sleeping, my go to music is Smetna's The Moldau. The two instruments I "feel" the most are the sax and the drum. It's the tension they create, I think. This past weekend, the TAIKOPROJECT was playing at the Lewis Family Playhouse (named for the family that I work for). You may have seen their work in a Mitsubishi commercial. Or you can check out this video. I didn't get a chance to see it but when I was at Victoria Gardens (an outdoor mall with a cultural center that holds the playhouse), there was a small festival with drum circles, origami tables, writing tables, food, and performances by these drummers. I had a great time listening to them and a great time trying to capture the performance with my camera. Not easy, let me tell you. Trying to anticpate what they would do, where they would be, capturing their expressions...fun, but challenging.

What was interesting was when I turned my camera to the crowd. They were held spellbound by the drums, even the youngest ones. I thought, how cool that would be to be able to share your music with someone and see their apprecition. I think that's what I'm trying to do with my photos. I'm just following a different drummer.