Journey Through Musical Explorations!

I am what most people would call a 'big kid at heart.' I enjoy the simple things in life, I like to keep things as light and airy as possible. I am always the first to crack a joke to get a laugh out of someone to ease any situation, whether it be a play on words or a corny joke, anything to get a laugh.  I also am not afraid to embrace my interests that most grown adults consider childish. For instance, I love anything Disney-related, and all things related to the Magical Wizarding World of Harry Potter. So much so, that my husband agreed to go to DisneyWorld and the Wizarding World in Florida for our honeymoon! He embraces weird quirks just as much as I do, which is one of the many reasons why we are perfect together. In the first year of our relationship, way back in 2010, Disney Studios released a new movie that caught both of our eyes for different reasons. For me, it was a classic fairy tale that I had enjoyed when I was little, with an exciting 'Disney spin' to i...

I love music so much because of the power it holds to help you escape reality, even if it is only for a little while. A brief relief of stress and a release of endorphins can improve anyone's day. By balancing music with visual effects, entertainment can be brought to an even higher level.  I'm sure all of us have a favorite TV show from childhood, that as soon as you heard the theme song, you were instantly filled with excitement and joy! It is the same thing for some musical numbers in our favorite kid's movies. Growing up in my family home, every person, child, or adult knew every lyric to any song within a Disney movie! So it's no surprise that I have a special place in my heart for movies that have a high musical presence.  In 2018, I found myself traveling to the lower 48 and had one of the worst travel trips in my life. Murphy's law was heavily at work during this trip, anything that could go wrong did go wrong. After a miserable week, I was finally headed ho...

A common question that anyone is asked in life is what kind of music do you enjoy listening to?  I have always considered myself open to any type of music genre. I can always find something I enjoy about every type of music I have listened to. I have an optimistic outlook on everything in life and try to find the best in every experience and situation. However, when I was first introduced to the music genre called, a cappella when I was younger, I struggled to find the bright side of it. I have never really found a barbershop quartet appealing to listen to. Simply put, this genre was just not my cup of tea.  That feeling changed when my husband showed me the group Pentatonix, for the first time. I loved their rendition of any song they covered, their playful demeanor, along with their fun word puns, what is not to love? This particular music group has not only transformed this genre but has brought it to a level higher than ever before in history.   (Original Group m...

When I was only about 5 or 6 years old, my dad had bought me a movie to watch, and little did he know, that this kind gesture would shape most of my passions and interest for the rest of my life.  The movie was titled, 'Kiki's Delivery Service'. A Hayao Mizayaki film. It is a simple but lovely story about a young witch named Kiki and her talking pet cat Jiji. At only the age of 13, they leave her childhood home to find her true talent as an aspiring witch in the real world.  I love this movie for many different reasons such as the artwork, the story, the empowering message to young ladies, like myself, and the light-hearted, playful music that is throughout the entirety of the movie gives an amazing feel. Kiki's Delivery Service is one of many movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki with the help of composer Joe Hisaishi. This list includes My Neighbor, Totoro, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, and many more! (I highly recommend watching any of these titles!) Ov...

Growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska was not the ideal situation for my teenage years. There isn't much that goes on in this town that is classified as 'exciting'.  However, I was lucky enough to know a family that was heavily into the electronic music scene, and happily put together a weekly event for the town's underage crowd.   Rave Parties. I am talking about an organized dance party in a warehouse, abandoned building, or private property, typically featuring performances by DJs, playing endless tracks of electronic dance music. It's a flurry of light beams, glow sticks, high energy, and fun! This helped not only feed my passion for music but showed me a completely new genre of music that has spread into most common day sounds. And it got me thinking, where did it all begin? History of Electronic Music: Point A 1970-1999 It may surprise you to find out that electronic music has been around a lot longer than you expected. The inventions of electronic instruments date ...

When we were counting down to celebrate the New Year for 2020, I don't think anyone could have prepared for what was to come.  2020 will undoubtingly go down in history as one of the craziest years, not just for Americans but for the whole world.  When Covid-19 first made its way into the news here in the US, there was so much confusion and a lot of resistance to the change happening in our world.  Thankfully, we have musical artists like Tom MacDonald.  However, many disagree with me.  'This artist refuses to conform to thesocietal norm' and it leaves listeners shocked at first',  says Denise Baboukis from Sam Ash Spotlight. He is known to revolve his music around controversial topics, such as politics, religion, conspiracy theories, and many more sensitive subjects. I consider myself a fan, but he has produced a few songs that I don't necessarily agree with. Nonetheless, Tom writes his lyrics, composes his music, and he also produces his music. Shortly af...