Tag: soundtrack

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“The Music Man” to the rescue

I was in a bit of a slump this morning. Just having a really hard time getting going.

After a bit, Ramesha left for the office, while I sat at the table trying to get up the energy to stop scrolling and start doing.

But then I happened upon a video of the composer (and flutist, which I never knew), Meredith Willson, explaining his non-rhyming lyrics to the song “Trouble” from The Music Man.

Well, The Music Man was one of my favorite musicals growing up, so after watching the video I had to listen to the version from the movie. Then I had to listen to the rest of the movie soundtrack (for the first time in decades).

The funny thing is that while I was listening I started doing a few things. Making the bed. Folding and hanging up some clothes. Putting away books. You get the idea.

But what’s really interesting is that when it got to the “Ya Got Trouble & Seventy-Six Trombones” point in the soundtrack, I jumped up and started dancing and marching around the room!

It’s like the music just forced me up and about, and I suddenly felt so happy!

I’m sure it was a matter of joyous childhood memories combined with the happy, upbeat melody and rhythm. But whatever it was, I was just glad to finally feel my energy moving again.

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The long haul

There’s no getting around it: we really are in this for the long haul! And I’m struggling to comprehend the full extent of how this will impact our music ministry.

I almost feel guilty typing these words, when there are people facing issues of life and death or utter poverty as a result of the pandemic.

But the fact is that music has been a key element of Ananda from the very start. Swami Kriyananda composed over 400 pieces of music which, over the fifty years of Ananda’s existence, became like the soundtrack of Ananda throughout the world.

Participating in choir; performing for Sunday service; offering our devotion through chanting; singing before meals and before meetings…our lives have been permeated with the music of Ananda.

So what happens when we can’t sing together?!? Well, we’re about to find out. 😕

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Music history 101

I had many music history classes in college, memorizing lots of composers’ birth/death dates (most of which I’ve long forgotten, not that it matters even a little bit, thanks to the internet). But tonight I’m reflecting on my personal history of music and realizing that music impacted me in a wide variety of ways during the different “eras” of my life.

I grew up on musicals. That’s the first music that I was consciously aware of. The first time my family went to an indoor theater (as opposed to a drive-in movie) was to see My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

And I can still picture the light blue sweater and blue/yellow plaid skirt I wore on an elementary school field trip to see The Sound of Music at the Century 21 theater in San Jose. That was a defining moment of my young life.

The Music Man. Camelot. The King and I. Oliver. Oklahoma. West Side Story. Flower Drum Song. Fiddler on the Roof. South Pacific. The list goes on and on. These movies were the soundtrack of my childhood. We had recordings of most of them and I spent hours singing along and memorizing the lyrics. (I would sometimes dance along as well; such as when I was around twelve and would go home, put on my red net petticoat, and dance my little heart out to “Shipoopi, shipoopi, shipoopi, the girl who’s hard to get…” from The Music Man!) 😂

I absolutely loved the clever use of words, the intricate rhythms, and the beautiful melodies. But many of these movies had either a positive message, or at least a few positive songs, or else upbeat tunes which raised my energy regardless of the lyrics. So I think I owe them a debt of gratitude for helping me develop into a pretty darn positive and optimistic person.