A CD and a farewell

Well friends, I did it.

I decided to take the plunge and start something new.

I've been wanting to get back into blogging for a long time, but I've just had a mental block about coming back. So much has happened since I last posted on here. And honestly, I feel that Vividry is a chapter that has closed for me.

I started this blog six years ago, as a highschool student, and here I am a college graduate starting down a new road. I love this blog and the people I have come to know through it, but I think it's time to start a new chapter. I'm a pianist, piano teacher, photographer and writer, and I would like a fresh start to re-focus.

 I don't want to say goodbye to all of you, though, so please come over and check my new blog out. It's called becoming. 

I have another exciting bit of news for you all. Remember in 2010 when I recorded music for a CD but never was able to actually produce a CD for you all? Well, I finally have done it. I recorded twelve of my songs (both ones I have written and Classical pieces I have studied at college), and I have made a CD out of them!

My CD is called A Spark of Inspiration, and I am so excited to share it with you all! I was able to record it on the 9-ft Steinway piano in the recital hall at Cedarville, and the sound is very rich and full. Check out the link to download it on CDbaby. Pretty soon it will be up on Itunes and Amazon also!

  So friends, come and check out these new things! And I will see you over at becoming.


 

The Art of Arranging (Guest Post)

Hello everyone! I'm Sally from Treble Clef, and I'm really excited to be posting here on Vividry. Thanks so much Melody for this opportunity :)

And so without further ado, I give you...

The Art of Arranging
(Sally's exclusive secrets on how to arrange phenomenal music)

Arranging music is, in my opinion, harder than composing your own music because it has to actually sound somewhat like the song you originally started out with whereas in composition you can literally put any rhythms and notes together and you're fine. When you arrange, you are basically taking a song and formatting it for your group. You can make an easier piece harder (or vice versa), make a song compatible for your instrumentation, or play around with the bass and harmonies while keeping the melody relativity intact. When arranging I am most often doing the second two things in that list.

One of the things that I spend a lot of my time arranging for is an 'Arts Alive' week at my summer camp. If you follow or read Treble Clef  then you probably read part or all of my arranging experience for this camp over the past year as I took on the task of arranging the song 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables. This was a challenge, but a very fun challenge at that. I began actually arranging in January (the camp was June 26-July 2) but had done pre-arranging work for months beforehand. It really is a long process. Recently, I have actually started the process again....for next summer. It may seem crazy, but I think that after you see how much will be put into this project, you may re-think that thought.

  ---

The first thing that I do when starting to arrange is sketch out a plan. This is kind of confusing, so I took a picture of the one I did the other night for my upcoming project. 

The first thing I have to do of course is lay out some possible music ideas (very important). I go through some books of mine that have songs that fit the theme I'm trying to match and also look on the internet too. For this particular group we tend to do a lot of movie music- especially ballads. In the past we've done The Black Pearl (Pirates of the Caribbean), Eight Days A Week (the Beatles), A Whole New World (Aladdin), and Bring Him Home (Les Miserables). (All my arrangements by the way.) This is where I start. After looking at a BUNCH of stuff, I wrote down my four most likely possibilities- something by the Beatles, Hallelujah (Shrek), The Rainbow Connection (the Muppets) and Can You Feel The Love Tonight (the Lion King).

The next step is to analyze your chosen songs to figure out which one of them you want to work with. *do NOT choose a song that you are not TOTALLY in love with- you won't be very enthusiastic about arranging it and therefore you won't have as stellar of a product*  After careful consideration of difficulty, known instrumentation (see lower left) (although in my case I don't know all my instrumentation yet so I have to make an executive decision from my know facts and speculation as to what we might have. I will find out much later what my full instrumentation will be), popularity, and other factors, I decided that the song that I would work with over the coming year would be Hallelujah. After choosing the song I laid out some basic ideas that I want to use in this arrangement, and then I'm finished with my first step on the road to arranging an awesome piece. (I just used the reference to my upcoming project as an example because it is a bit confusing otherwise. The above step and those below are the ones I use for EVERY arrangement.)

After you've spent some good time on your sketch, make sure to look it over one more time and double check everything that you've done so far. When you have finished with that, congratulations! It's time to move on to step two!

Remember, to arrange music you are taking someone else's composition and arranging it to fit your group, so to do this you're going to have to find some sources that you can work off to create your arrangement. These will give you ideas about key signature, time signature, melody, harmony, chord patterns, and the general way that the song is put together. I usually look three places to find my base music- first I look in my own personal library, then the internet (free or cheap downloads are GREAT), and then at my local music stores. I usually like two or three pieces of base music because then my arrangement has a lot of neat variety. One thing that is the most helpful in arranging is finding a piano part that has the melody line on top, along with guitar chords. This is good because:

(a. the piano part is the hardest to write, so it's really nice to have one right in front of you to build off of,
(b. the melody is right there ready for you to work with as you wish and
(c. the guitar shows you point-blank what chords are being used.

Choral arrangements are great too for ideas on harmony.

For both Bring Him Home and now Hallelujah I used/am using the piano/melody/chord arrangement and a choral arrangement to help me with my arrangement. 

OK! You are now ready to start arranging! Before you go to the computer though, take a look at your base music and mark in some thoughts. Things like 'cello solo here' and 'trumpet descant', etc. This will help make it so that your brain might not end up quite so fried after finishing your arrangement.

Speaking of fried brains...If you've done all the above in one day without really taking a long break (which I do not suggest...) STOP. Go take a hot shower, put on your PJ's, make some popcorn, and watch a movie. Do not work on your arrangement again until a least the next morning. Rest is good. And if your parents complain, well, tell them I said so.

To do your arrangement you are going to need a music writing software. I suggest Finale Notepad which is great for writing music and is only a $9.95 download.Once your software is up, get it ready with your key signature, time signature, etc. Don't necessarily add all your instruments right away, but you can if you want to.  The first part you should start writing for is your piano accompaniment. The easiest way to write this part is to simply take the piano part from your piano/melody/chord base music and plug it in your score. Then go in and change it up a bit to make it your own. The end product of this part could be drastically different from the base music you started out with but it makes it a whole lot easier on you if you work directly off the base music to create your hardest part.

Once you have your accompaniment it's time to start on your melody. You can have the melody stay with one instrument, but it's a lot more fun if you bounce it around different sections and create interesting section combinations with the melody. Make it fun- fun to write and fun to play. You can also mix up the melody to really make it your own too, by putting in accidentals, rhythm changes, whatever floats your boat. Remember, you can ALWAYS go back and change things later. I do :)

The next step is to add in the background parts to your melody. These include (but are not limited to) your harmony, secondary melody, descant and bass line. Use your knowledge of chords (especially the guitar part in your base music), balance, instrumentation, and music theory, to write these parts. Use the playback feature often to make sure everything sounds the way you want it to. You want your score to be absolutely amazing.

If you don't really love how things are coming together there is no reason why you can't change it. Deleting and completely changing your piece are natural parts of the arranging process. If you get discouraged, just take a break and come back later. This is the longest part of the process and it is extremely important to not get frustrated with yourself. As I said before, it is a hard, long, brain-frying process, but eventually it will all come together and you'll have something that you can be really proud of.

Once your parts are finally written, add in dynamics, articulations, fermatas, measure markings, tempos, etc. Look your piece over one last time and listen to it very carefully. Fix anything that needs to be fixed and once you are totally satisfied, split your score into individual parts and print.

Congratulations! You have now arranged your first piece of music, a truly great accomplishment.

If you want more guidance on your own arranging endeavors, I'd love to talk with you and share some tips and listen to your music. If you want to hear more about my own arranging, especially about my next project with Hallelujah, catch me on my blog where arranging is a common subject that I cover. You can contact me at trebleclefblog@gmail.com and/or pop in at my blog Treble Clef. Seeya!

thanks to Melody for letting me guest post!

---

Hi, I'm Sally, and I run the blog Treble Clef. I'm a fifteen year old Christian, and I'm about to go into my sophomore year at my local high school. I'm not your average teenage girl though, in fact, far from it. I'm a feisty, smart, talented musician, standing at only 5'0'' but that doesn't stop me from wielding a mighty powerful trumpet. Want to learn more about me, and join me on my journey? Catch me over at Treble Clef (link above) where I share my story, the drama, the love, the adventure, and most importantly, the music.

More Composing Adventures

So, I've told you all about my composing adventures (including my escapade trying to make a CD)... but somehow I overlooked sharing this last semester's adventure. I took an actual composing class, and it stretched me a bit. I've been used to only composing for piano (supplemented with voice, violin or guitar), but during this class I tried composing for a number of other instruments such as cello, flute, glockenspiel, clarinet... I had never dared do that before since I'm only familiar with piano, but I was surprised at how well I could do with just a little research about the instrument.

The last piece I wrote was for a small ensemble. We could go with a typical group (think piano trio, brass quartet, or string quartet), or come up with our own. I, being the ever-adventurous one, came up with my own ensemble comprised of: violin, clarinet, flute, glockenspiel, and marimba (the glockenspiel is the one on the back right that sounds like bells, and the marimba is on the left). I went for a more "minimalist" sound with my piece (which means that it sounds very repetitive and flow-y), and I like how it ended up.

For the "final" of the class, we had to have the piece performed, with ourselves conducting (if we knew how). I called the piece "A Spark of Inspiration," but it accidentally ended up as "A Spark of Imagination" in the program. I ended up sticking with that because I like it better. :)

We also had to write up liner notes, and this is what I wrote:

So many things sparked the inspiration for this piece: a child's wonder at the vast world about them, that tricky inspiration which always eludes your grasp when you most want it, and the magical feeling of fairy tales and fairy dust. These ideas are sprinkled throughout as the music ebbs and falls.

So, I give you "A Spark of Imagination:"

Truly Blessed

I thank you all so very much for praying for the recording of my CD on Tuesday. The whole day was filled with blessings beyond compare - from the start to the end of the recording session.

Even though at times it got to 87 degrees in the sanctuary (because we couldn't have the A.C. running while recording), God saw us through. Even when we got tired, or frustrated with the squeaky pedal on the piano or our own performance, He strengthened us and helped us be patient and calm. I could tell from the moment we prayed together at the beginning that God had His hand upon the endeavor.

The awesome violinist and singer

Yes, the recording is "less than professional quality" (because it was done in my small church, with the best equipment we had), and I know there are minor mistakes (which only I would catch) in many of the songs. But I also know I serve a great God, who is able to take whatever I create and use it. And I pray that He will multiply my small loves and two fish into enough to feed thousands.

For nothing is impossible with God. ~Luke 1:37

Me - pianist, composer, and background vocals

Here is an excerpt of the prayer I wrote in my journal the day after the recording:

Lord, I praise You, for You alone are good and righteous and there is none other like You. My life's goal is to worship You, and this CD is only just a part of that. 

Thank-you for bringing this dream together - for giving me the talent and the inspiration to write these songs, blessing me with such willing, helpful people to perform and record them, and providing the right equipment and knowledge. You knew how this all was going to happen even when it was just a dream of mine - a castle in the sky. Thank-you, Lord, for working all these things out for Your glory. 

So I ask you - would you join me in continuing to pray for the CD as I prepare it for selling? I know God can and will use this for His glory, if I commit it to Him.

Today's the Day!

Today is the day for the recording of my CD!

I'd like to ask you to pray over this endeavor - for strength and patience for me, for harmony between me and the other musicians, for the sound to be captured as well as it can, and for God's love and my thankfulness to Him to shine through the songs. I want this to be for His glory, not for mine. He alone deserves all the praise for my talent - I'm only giving back to Him what He has given to me.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Something I've Been Neglecting

Remember this? An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook?
I just checked, and the last time I did it was in May. Somehow summer slipped by without me remembering about my daybook! But I have decided to start it up again, possibly every other week on Saturday or Sunday. :)

But before I begin, I would like to direct your attention to two things:

1. I wrote another guest post today for Elizabeth Rose at Living on Literary Lane. It's called, When You Need a Little Humbling... I would love if you went over there and read it. :)

2. I have a friend in real life who started a blog not too long ago called My Musings and Other Profound (or not) Thoughts. She would be greatly encouraged if y'all went over there and checked her blog out!

Okay, now on to the daybook:

Find out how to do An Inspired Young Woman's Daybook here

Today the number one question I was asked by people at church was: "Are you all packed yet for college?" :P
I'm feeling contemplative from playing piano, and also a little stressed out from too much multitasking.
My outfit is a turquoise tee and light-colored shorts.
Outside my window it's overcast and dreary... the type of day where mosquitoes are having a party and everyone else wants to stay inside. ;)
A song that's stuck in my head is "Shine on Us" by Michael W. Smith, which I played an arrangement of for the offertory at church.
Something (a book, song, movie, person...) that's inspired me recently: the amazing, humbling love of my family and friends as I'm preparing for college.
A prayer of my heart this week is to trust in God for everything - knowing He has my life in His hands.
I am creating a CD of my compositions, which I'm trying to complete in the next couple of weeks before I go to college. (AAHHH!!)
I am reading Passion & Purity (yes, still), Start Here (almost finished), and I'm hopefully gonna start one of the many fiction books that have been on my shelves just waiting for me to read them!
I am thinking about all the different things I'm multitasking on at the moment - mainly just how I can use the rest of my day most productively.
A scripture verse or passage that's stuck out to me this week: 1 Peter 1:8-9 "Though you have not seen him [Christ], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
A spiritual lesson I'm learning is to trust God with ALL aspects of my life. Each new worry, new fear about college I'm having to lift up to God
An attribute of God I've seen this week is Father. He loves me like a child, and cares very much about all the details of my life that could easily seem insignificant. And unlike my earthly father, who cannot be with me everywhere I go, my God will be with me, even at college.
A picture I’d like to share: This is the picture I'm thinking of going with for the cover of my CD. What do you all think?

A creative goal for next week well... there are a few compositions I have left to work on and get totally complete. A couple of which I have to work out with the violinist. So my creative goal would be to get all my songs for the CD finalized and ready to record!
Did I complete my goal from last week hehe well... it's been a few months. ;) 


I hope you all are having a great Sunday! :D

You Asked, I Answered

I know I said I would post this yesterday, but all of your questions were so deep and interesting that I didn't finish answering until today! I was surprised how many of them were music-related. But I guess after all, my name is Melody. ;)

So here they are! Hope you enjoy my answers.

From Eden:
How long have you been playing piano?

Well, I've been playing on the piano for 14 years, but taking lessons for 12. And the funny thing is that I've had a total of 6 teachers during that time! I'll be starting with my 7th when I go to Cedarville in August.

What is your favorite hobby and why?

If you mean by "hobby" something that I do for fun to pass the time, I would have to say writing stories. I don't consider it my main interest, but I do enjoy it a lot. I love the thrill of coming up with beautiful ways to say something, or writing something about a character that just really touches you deeply. Eventually I would like to be more into it, but at the moment, I still consider it a hobby.

From Joy:
What's your favorite genre of music to play? ...to listen to? and why?

I enjoy playing a lot of genres of music; really it depends on my mood. I play mostly classical, but I love playing movie themes or modern piano pieces when I'm feeling emotional or sad. And of course I love playing my own compositions because they are the way I express myself!

I also have a lot of favorite genres of music I listen to. I love movie soundtracks, modern piano pieces, classical, and also Contemporary Christian. For Contemporary Christian, I like artists such as Sara Groves, Michael Card, Steven Curtis Chapman... If the words are edifying and the music is beautiful & pleasant to listen to, then I'll probably like it!

From Guinevere:
What's your favorite blog?

My own! lol just kidding. How could I chose a favorite among all my awesome friends on the blogging world?
I have found though that what makes a blog one of my "favorites" is when the author is willing to be real, and at the same time displays a love of beauty in their writing.

What inspires you most?

There are so many things that inspire me. A phrase, beautiful sunset, hug from a friend... but I think it all boils down to love. Love inspires me. Whether it's the love of my friends and family, God's love, or the love I have for nature, piano, or any of my passions. Love inspires me to write, to sing, to be the person God made me to be. When I feel loved is when I compose my most beautiful melodies.  

Your favorite Bible verse?

Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore brothers, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is; His good, pleasing and perfect will."(I typed it out from memory, but I think that's NIV.) I love this verse because this is exactly what I want to do with my life.

What's your favorite piece you've composed? Can you share it with us?

You all seem to like asking questions about my favorite things! (Which, as you can see, is hard for me to answer). :D Currently, I think my favorite piece I've composed is one called "The Friendship." I wrote it after a really sweet time I had with a friend. I think to me it symbolizes letting go of holding tight to my friendships, and putting them in God's hands. Remembering the memories, but not making them all I strive for. I know God has so much more planned for my friendships, if only I'll trust him.

And unfortunately, the video I tried to make of me playing this song wouldn't upload to my computer, so I'll have to try again later. :P

From Annie: 
How do you compose music? Do the melodies just come to you, do you create, and how do you make it sound so good?

Oh wow... where to begin?

Typically, I compose music one of two ways. Either I sit down at the piano (with some kind of emotion in mind or in my heart), pick a key, and just start playing. Or, I'm sparked by some kind of melody I've heard or came up with, and then I elaborate on it. ("My Prayer" is an example of the first, "Frustration" is an example of the second.) Yes, melodies do tend to just come to me... I'm not sure how that is!

And typically how I make it sound good (or better) is I go over my rough idea and then pull out other things I wouldn't have just naturally played the first time. For example, I tend to do a lot of arpeggios and octaves in the left hand, so often that's just naturally what I play when I'm first making up a song. Then as I get the melody and the chords more solidified, I'll figure out something a little different for the left hand (for example, in the beginning of "Press On"). So I guess I never really have a whole song just come to me in my mind. It's always a collaboration between me and my piano. ;) I will play a piece over and over and over again until I know just exactly what parts are where and just how each section is played. And then it's a song! :) 

From The Golden Eagle:
What is the most life-altering thing that has happened to you?

I'd have to say, when I became a Christian. Actually, though I was saved at age 6, I re-committed my life to God when I was 13. I realized that I hadn't really been growing as a Christian; I had been content to do all the right things without striving to be the right person. I re-committed my life to serving and glorifying Him - and it affects everything I do!

From Kimberose:
Are you planning to study music in college (or are you already graduated?). If so, do you know anything about scholarships and how you work towards them?

Yes, I am planning on studying music in college - specifically Piano Pedagogy (I'll be a freshman at Cedarville University this fall). For scholarships, typically the school you're going to will have some sort of scholarship for those going into music. For me, when I auditioned, they automatically counted that as an entry into a scholarship (which I won, by the way!). But I would look at the school you're considering and see what they have. :)

From Lauren.ann: 
Why did you decide to start a blog?

I think I first started because I just thought it would be a cool thing to do. Funny thing is, no one I knew in real life had one, so I don't know how I first heard about it. I love writing, and I thought it would be cool to be able to share my writing with others. And just look how it's grown!

From Alexandra: 
Are there any special or unusual places that you've composed songs?

This is an interesting question! I've never really thought about where I compose songs before. But I have composed in some pretty unusual places... driving home from Bible Study (in the dark, no less), in the shower, in the middle of a conversation with a friend, when I'm trying to get to sleep... Usually these type of songs are songs with words. I'll think of the words and the melody that goes along with them. Or I'll get an idea for a melody (without words) and finish it on the piano (because as I said before, usually I compose at the piano).

If you were to describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why? 

Creative. And by creative, I don't mean "different". I mean that I love to create. Love to look at things through God's eyes and try to capture that in some way. I love beauty - love to see it, feel it, capture it, create it. This is me. Creative.


All this talk about music and my compositions reminded me of something very cool which I am currently working on. I think you all will be really excited, so I'm gonna tell you (though it's not finished yet).

I'm making a CD of my compositions! Once I get it all finished, I'll probably make a way for it to be on itunes (or amazon or something like that) so you all can buy it! Isn't that cool, or what? :D

You Asked For It!

Here are the videos of me playing my compositions like you asked for! I've uploaded two for your enjoyment. It's been pretty amazing how each day this week I will just sit down at the piano and compose a new song. It is so much fun. :)
Please make sure to turn off the music player on the sidebar before you watch them. 

This first one is called "Frustration", and is based off of a very simple (but effective) chord progression. I imagine someone sitting down at the piano and starting a song, but quickly getting frustrated that it just repeats over and over again:




This song is tentatively titled "Press On". I envision a person on a journey, exhausted and weary beyond belief, yet always finding new strength in God. I'd like to know how it speaks to you!
The song is not quite "finished" - i.e. there are probably parts I will take out or polish a little more. And the ending is rather drawn out because I wasn't really solid on how I was going to end it. But here it is, for your enjoyment:

Happy is the Word

Yes, happy is definitely the word for my mood today. Here's the reasons why:


1. I changed/modified my blog! I decided (after much deliberation) to go along with the "clean and fresh" look and got rid of my background (and changed a few other things). What do you think?

2. I finally got a haircut. (I kind of have a love-hate relationship with my hair: I love it when it's long because it looks nice, but I also hate it because it makes me hot and uncomfortable.) My friend cut it for me, and she did a great job. :) I think it was about two inches off, which is so much nicer and cooler for summer.

3. I'm still working on 30,000 words in 30 Days (and about 12,000 words behind!).  I've taken to doing early morning writing sessions with a very good friend who is also a writer. We wake up at 6:00 am, get on our computers and write (and chat) together for a couple of hours. It really is enjoyable. :) And even though I am so behind, I'm still happy that I can write consistently each day.

4. I've composed a total of at least four songs this week. :) They're all still swirling around in my brain, and I don't want to lose them (or mix them up!), so I video'd myself playing them. If y'all ask nicely, I may post one or two.... ;)

5. God has really been blessing my life recently, in so many more ways than I can express or count. If I didn't have Him, my happiness would be fleeting and empty. But in Him, I have boundless delight.

The Profoundness of Life

Awel over at Shilah is doing a new meme on Tuesdays. The theme is: "finding two inspiring thoughts for one day."

Well, I have some pretty deep thoughts for you. About life.

{1} Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you died? I know it's a rather gruesome question, and people often don't like to think about it. But I have, very recently, actually.

I had a near-death experience yesterday. It is actually a miracle that I'm still alive and here to post this post - I really should have been dead or at least badly injured.

Being that close to death really made me slow down and think. Think about the awesomeness of my God, and how He sends His guardian angels to watch over me and protect me. Think about all of the people near me who love me so very much, and all of the lives I touch or could touch. Think about all of the people I would want to say something to before I died.... the legacy I would be leaving behind.... what people would say of me. Would people say of my life, "She lived for Christ," or would they just say, "She was a good person."? I want it to be plain and clear to others that I'm living my life for Christ. After all, He has saved my life! I want everyone to know what He has done for me. 

I want to challenge you, as I'm challenging myself - can others plainly see Christ in you? Is Christ the focus of your conversations, the one love and desire of your life? Or is He someone you like to keep hidden unless people actually ask you about him?

What do you think will be your legacy when you're gone? Will people remember you, or will they remember Christ in you?


{2} I wrote a song the other day, and I was having the hardest time coming up with a title for it. It doesn't have words, but it definitely evokes a mood. My brother said it sounded like a story - others said it sounded like a sunrise, or spring, or even the Redemption story. I posted it on facebook and got my friends' thoughts and advice, but still I couldn't come up with a suitable title. Finally yesterday morning, shortly before the near-death experience, I played it one last time. When I was done, I folded my hands and prayed, asking God to give me the title.


Well, He did.


I call it, "My Prayer".

(make sure to turn off the music player before watching the video)

With Words, or With Music?

You know what - it's really hard for me to write. As I'm working on editing my novel, I'm realizing how difficult it is for me to put my thoughts and emotions down on paper. Especially my emotions.

Compared to composing a song on the piano, composing words on a page is challenging - like an oil painting I hardly ever get right the first time. I have to keep scraping the layers off and starting over again. But with the piano, music, melodies, and feelings simply fall from my fingers. I don't even really have to think - the music comes out from somewhere deep inside me, and just flows.

Writing is not like that. When I write I really have to think hard about each word. I often wonder if I'm really expressing what I want to say - and if I'm really writing what I feel at all. I can put together pretty phrases, interesting twists of similes and metaphors, but I find it challenging to just write what I feel. My emotions flow out so easily through my fingers on the piano keys, so why can't they flow just as easily through my fingers on computer keys? It's a mystery, to me at least.

This is kind of ironic, but I wrote a poem about this very thing. The ironic thing is that it doesn't really express my thoughts very well - perhaps I'd do better composing a song about it. :P But anyway, here it is, for your enjoyment:

With

With words

I can describe a scene,

Paint a vivid picture

With colorful descriptions

So that a movie screen

Flashes before your mind.

But with music notes 

I can evoke a feeling,

Transcribe emotions

Onto your very heart

So that you experience the intensity 

Of another’s passion.

(copyright Melody 2010)  

I've found this is the easiest way of expressing my heart. But what about you? What is the medium by which you catch your heart's overflow and share it with others?

Capture the words... feelings... melodies

Recently, I've been getting back into writing and composing. I love the feel of creating something; almost like I feel closer to my Creator. I guess it's because I'm using the gifts He's given me, echoing Him in a very tiny, pale way - and I know it pleases Him.

I've had a very cool experience coming home from a Bible study I go to every Monday night. For about the past month, I've found that each night as I drive home, God gives me a new song. Instead of listening to the radio, I begin humming and trying to find new melodies. Or I say words out loud that fit with what I'm feeling, and expand on them to make them into phrases... rhymes... and finally a real song. It really is amazing how God gives these songs to me, born as they are out of the moment. :)

I also have been getting back into writing, which is something I always seem to put off. I really do like to write, but I think I put it off just because it takes so much thought and planning. So, I guess I've decided to turn my brain on (lol)! I recently finished writing a book that a friend and I have been writing since she moved away. It's really special to us, and I think it could be published eventually after we edit and polish it some.

Another really big writing thing I'm excited about is NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month. (The website is www.nanowrimo.com) Basically, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I'm really getting pumped for it, because when I did it last year, I had a blast! I've come up with a number of novel ideas, but finally settled on this one. It's called "True Beauty." Here's the synopsis (or the "teaser"):

Life has not been good to thirteen-year-old Anna. Her mother was the only one who understood her need to write and her love for beauty, yet she died when Anna was eleven. Anna and her father don't understand each other at all, so each of them live in their own world.
Anna lives the world of her books. She has an all-consuming passion for creating beauty in her writing, but she never can seem to grasp what makes up true beauty.
When she and her father move to a tiny house in the country, she begins to write another story, convinced that the beauty around her will absorb into her writing. The story is about a princess who is held captive by an evil prince. Anna becomes to engrossed in her story that she basically lives, breathes, and sleeps it. And one day, she begins to cry as she writes a deeply moving scene.
Instantly, she is transported into the world of her story. She is ecstatic - she had always dreamed of escaping into her own story! Yet none of her characters knows who she is... except the villain. And he wants her to write him into the hero of the story. Can she escape his schemes and save her book from going out of control? And who will save her?

So yes, I've had a lot of writing and creating on the brain. Who knows? Maybe I can capture what really makes up true beauty.