The Beginning: I've always loved to sing. I've been singing since I was born I guess. Despite the fact that I endured extreme teasing from my older brothers, who made it so difficult to try new things without having to withstand their mocking, still, my soul sang. my heart sang. and I just kept singing.
When I was about 12 years old, I asked if I could join the church choir, and of course they gladly said yes. I had been singing already in an early morning before school elementary school choir and wanted to keep singing. This was my first experience with being divided into Sopranos or Altos. They put me as a soprano, which was good, as it was the melody of the music and i was just learning to read music, so no matter my where my voice was, I was in the right group to begin to learn and grow.
Meeting Mr. Commerford: When our family moved from Colorado to a small town in Kansas, first thing.. I joined the choir. Easy decision. I sat with the sopranos and made friends quickly. Best friends, whom I still have to this day.
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| Mr. Dan Commerford |
My voice: OK, lets stop for a moment and talk about my voice. There are singers that have beautiful voices that are unique and capable of carrying a solo, and there are singers with beautiful blending voices, which are needed to help make all the beautiful layers in a song without sounding too distinct, so as not to take away from the piece as a whole.
I am a blending voice, but at age 14 I just didn't quite know it yet. But. Mr Commerford did, and with that knowledge he changed my life.
THE question: One day he pulled me aside and said, "Janice, I've been listening to you and your tone and your range is much more suited for an alto. Would you consider singing Alto?"
Lesson #1: Life Harmonies: Listen to the People Around You. Watch and bring out their hidden talents, things they don't recognize in themselves. This lesson may not have been obvious to me at 14, but it became a light bulb moment later in life that has carried with me all through my life.
As I've raised my own children and sought to help them find and bring out their God given talents, or working with the youth at church, or leaving kind messages for my friends on social media,or any one I encounter, I strive to help lift them up, help them see themselves as God sees them, help them see the not so obvious gifts they have. I make it a point to just tell them what I see in them: such as the gift of friendship, the gift of believing, the gift of positive attitude, the gift of perseverance, the gift of writing, etc. all these wonderful types of gifts don't always seem like "gifts from God" and not so obvious but they are amazing and worth helping others discover them inside themselves!
Lesson #2: Don't tell--- Ask! Mr. Commerford didn't tell me he was moving me to the altos section, although he could have. He simply pointed out his confidence in my abilities, and then asked me if I would.
Lesson: Whether in a personal setting or business setting if you are wanting to help someone make a change in their life or circumstances, build confidence, point out abilities, encourage, and then invite change.
Most of the time, when I use Mr. Commerford's method, I have found that most people will rise to the occasion and make changes in their life. Even if they don't, right then, you have planted a seed in their mind and heart for them to ponder on to let grow. Keep encouraging, you never know when that seed will take root and change will happen at another point in time because of your courage!
Inspire change and they will!
Changing Sides: I did move over to the altos, and began the task of learning how to read the harmony parts instead of the melody. It can be harder to read the harmonies as it is a compliment to it, it is usually lower than the melody, and can be done by adding chords or counter melodies, it can be at a different rhythm than the melody as well, so it can be a bit complicated to learn.
I immediately fell in love. Found my home, found my heart. My soul had always been a "harmony" heart, I just didn't know it until a wise and loving teacher introduced me to my gift.
I began to actually hear harmonies all around me. They had always been there, but I had been listening for the melodies. Now, with a more trained ear, I could hear the counter melodies everywhere: In nature, people, life. Life began to have more depth, more variety, more context. Less about me, and more about "us".
Lesson #3: Life is full of Harmonies, but you'll miss them if you don't stop to listen: Life can get so busy and so self focused that we end up running around from point A to point B just trying to get through the day. That is kind of like the melody, and it reminds me of the piece Flight of the Bumble Bee.
You have to make a conscience effort to slow down and look out for, listen for the people, the sounds, and the needs around you that make up the depth, the context, the story of life. Those people and needs have always been there, but if you don't take the time to slow down and listen for them, look for them you won't realize they are there. You'll only see and hear the melody, and without the accompanying depth that others bring into our lives, our lives will feel a bit flat, just like melodies can without adding in more chords or rhythms.
Lesson #4:Don't Be Afraid to Change Direction, Let Go or Move! Be Brave! Dive in and start swimming! When I moved over to sing alto I moved away from my best friends in the soprano section. (of course it was just across the room, but at 14 it feels like across the entire world!) But of course I made new friends! great friends! These girls were welcoming, funny, great listeners, gave great advice, and became cherished friends, yet I know that we never would have become such good friends if I hadn't been willing to reach outside my own comfortable circle of friends!
A whole new world of friends and experiences await you if you are just willing to take a chance on change! When life offers you a different viewpoint, don't be afraid of the view!
Final Lesson: My lessons were there all along, but I didn't realize them right away, but a good teacher is like that. The lessons sink in, and they just marinate in you for a while and before you realize it, you find the deeper meanings behind all the things that teacher tried to instill. You thought they were just teaching you to sing, Jabberwocky (our all time favorite, song), but it turns out, it wasn't really that at all.
Thank you, Mr. Commerford, and all the "Mr.Commerfords" out there, for giving us so much more than the melody.
