Tag: Music

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Holiday Tunes

ellenparkerwrites

The year is fast approaching the end. Social events are stacking up on calendars all over the United States. Office and work parties. Neighborhood gatherings. Family traditions. Everything wants to be celebrated before the last day of the year.

Draw a deep breath. Sit and listen to the music. These end-of-year holidays are filled with sacred and secular melodies.

Only three of octaves of bells capable of making pretty melodies. Have you ever rung bells? Attended a bell concert?

In the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, Louisa Mueller enjoys all sorts of music. She hums hymns and folk tunes during her working hours in the bakery. And every Sunday afternoon she enjoys music and dancing at the beer garden. Check out the book and join this story of arriving in America in 1851. Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

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Let there be…Music

ellenparkerwrites

Do you hear it? The end-of-year holidays are parading this way. Drums keep the beat. Stringed instruments play the soaring notes. Woodwinds and brass toss the melody back-and-forth. And then…

The tinkle of bells fill in the gaps.

Do you have church bells in your neighborhood? Or have you gotten a sense of wonder during a carillon concert? Perhaps you’re fond of smaller bells, such as the handbells pictured above. Or we could go smaller — jingle bells (miniature sleigh bells) on Santa’s boot tops.

Enjoy a little music this Holiday Season. Immigrants from all places brought their music and holiday traditions when they moved to the United States.

Louisa Mueller, a fictional Deutsch immigrant, brought her love of music and dancing along with her baking skills in the sweet historical romance, New Dreams. Follow the link below for more information on a sweet romance escape from reality. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

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Let Every Voice…

ellenparkerwrites

Winter holidays and music go together like potatoes and gravy or snow and boots.

Do you favor the happy, upbeat rhythm of popular music? Or the ballads from decades ago? Perhaps you prefer familiar, sacred melodies.

Each has a certain charm. Like many people, I can enjoy a variety of holiday tunes with soaring melodies, religious lyrics, and comedy tunes of reindeer.

This puzzles features many voices with many songs. I like to think the tunes are happy. However, I know some spread a word of warning to their loved ones. As we sing our winter holiday songs, let’s look forward to the spring chorus of our feathered friends.

Small town residents need to be flexible. Beth Cosgrove, known in the community as the breeder of German shepherds and accountant, is also called upon to sing a solo for a church service. Nervous – yes. (She prefers to sing in a group.) Astonished when an audience comes to rehearsal — double yes. Check out the sweet romance SEED OF DESIRE for the entire story. Kindle: https://amzn.to/2RDFgxH

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Finger Power

ellenparkerwrites

With only your fingers you can make a person laugh, cry, relax, or dance.

Can anyone do it? Pretty much.

Can I do it well? That depends — have you received a little basic instruction and then practiced? Practice is key. Every day is best. Regular will keep your skills sharp and progressing. Once in a great while? Not so good. You need “muscle memory” for best results.

However, the ability never goes away completely. Even after a break of months or years many people can quickly recover much of the ability sleeping in their hands.

Side benefit — even if the electricity fails, a piano can furnish quality entertainment.

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Hidden Exercise

ellenparkerwrites

Keep your body healthy! Exercise! Every day!

Touch your toes. Jumping jacks. Sit-ups.

As one of the students who disliked physical education class — those are frightful words.

The real world — outside of P.E. class — is kinder.

Walk from here to there. Grab a ball and play a game. Put on some music and DANCE!

Note the trim figures on this dancing couple.

So hide your exercise with music, laughter, companionship, or necessity. Don’t let the memory of calisthenics in school keep you sidelined.

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A Fiddle Fit For…

ellenparkerwrites

Paul Bunyan? Pecos Bill? Goliath?

Can you imagine the sound as our Giant of Giants strikes up a dance tune?If the people of Sydney, NS built this to impress the cruise ship tourists —             I think they succeeded.

If you were to play a welcome tune on this instrument…what would it be?

A jig? A ballad? A classic lullaby? With practice (and at least a dash of innate talent) a musician can make one fiddle suitable for all occasions.

 

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Enthusiasm

ellenparkerwrites

The preacher was fantastic. Inspiring.

Nashville steamboat captain and businessman Thomas G. Ryman heard the message at an 1885 revival. He was so moved, he put his energy and money into the construction of Union Gospel Tabernacle.

The acoustics are wonderful. The building became a popular venue for concerts and cultural events.

Renovations were made which increased the seating and preserved the sound.

Today thousands of tourists flock to the building to tour the displays and absorb the musical history of the site. But it’s more than museum. Performances occur.

Thank you, Captain Ryman.

You won’t find “Union Gospel Tabernacle” on a Nashville city map. But you will find “Ryman Auditorium. Frequently referred to as the home of the “Grand Ole Opry”

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Relaxation Technique

ellenparkerwrites

Are you tense? Angry? Frustrated that others are not doing their jobs as you feel they should?

You should relax. Rid your body of overt amounts of tension.

Many techniques exist. And some have made fortunes for the authors and teachers. Massage is frequently recommended — but it requires a second person.

Meditation and prayer appear near the top of any list.

And then my favorite – rumored to be able to soothe a savage beast — music.

Sculpture of boy charming frog and bird with his flute.

I’m not sure of flutes. But our milk cows swayed to the music on the radio.