Thank you to Mormon.org and their #LightTheWorld 2016 Christmas campaign for partnering with me on this post! Going Christmas caroling can be an activity used for Day 15: Jesus Worshipped Through Song and So Can You! Make sure to check out our Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide—Find hundreds of gift ideas for EVERYONE on your list! I…
Today was a day filled with Halloween parties. I will admit that I get a bit selfish sometimes on my days off of work because I have so much to do and I am usually exhausted. So when I am faced with all the parties on my day off it means making gluten-free cupcakes for…
A couple of days ago, Sophia had her very last violin lesson. Yes, you read that right. I let her quit music lessons after four years of sticking it out. It wasn’t an easy decision for me at all and I feel like a great big failure of a music mom. The Maestro is the…
Are you shelling out the big bucks for music lessons only to have your child not practice? We sacrifice so much so that our children can have good quality music instruction, and it really frustrates me when they refuse to practice. But it turns out that there are several very legitimate reasons why a child…
In our household, music takes a high priority. Not only does it make our living for us, it is what makes life worthwhile (in our humble musician opinions). Because we have deemed music to be so important, our three children each play an instrument. The instrument is negotiable, but whether or not they play one…
As a singer, I love Christmas. My favorite carols to sing aren’t the ones about Santa Claus or Frosty the Snowman, though they are definitely fun. My favorite carols are the ones that center on Christ’s birth. I love the lyrics and I love the beautiful melodies, but mostly I love how I feel when…
In the dressing room before my performance on Saturday Night of Mahler’s “Um Mitternacht.” The final moments before I perform are usually spent touching up my lipstick, pondering the soul and emotion of the piece, and praying. I have a friend named Sarah who is an incredible artist. In fact, if you are in Utah,…
Yesterday (well, since it’s now past midnight, two days ago), Bria turned the big one three. Thirteen. What has my life come to? I am not old enough to have my own teenager! I feel like I just finished teenage-hood myself! But this post isn’t about me and the way I like to freak out…
Hello! I’ve been a busy girl this last month, and I simply have not found the time to sit down and blog. But that’s okay, because I have lots of stories to tell for later. In July, when I have almost no commitments. Just one more week–I can NOT wait to finally sit down and…
The Oscars were last night, and Les Miserables came to a theatre near me just in the nick of time. Living in a small town like mine can be frustrating where the Academy Awards are concerned, because when you already don’t watch R-rated films, you don’t get to see many of the nominees. And then…
I’m a wee bit late posting this book review. I have lots of reasons. I was out of town all weekend for the sitzprobe, piano tech, dress rehearsal, and opening night of the opera I am currently in. Oh, do you want to see a picture? Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart. It’s awesome, and if…
So, here’s the scoop on electronics and practicing… I hate, HATE, hate (and yes, I am aware that hate is a strong word) the way my children are so easily drawn into screens. Their eyes glaze over, their ears stop working, and they turn into little zombies while watching a movie or playing on the…