Woooow...I am TERRIBLE at blogging. lol But I will make another valiant effort to resurrect this section after about a good three year gap since my last post... 


Well what has happened in the last three years? A LOT! By the looks of my News & Events section, my fingers have been busy performing in orchestra pits every year, moving my entire life across town and learning to be a home owner, going on almost 5 years of marriage, gained some more experience in musical directing, doing a lot more vocal coaching these days (I really tried to resist this - but I am such a songbird at heart!) and still pastoring Emerge youth group every Friday night. 


I always say, "I live an extraordinary life." Because well, I do! I think I'm happiest when I'm learning and growing, and that has helped to open so many doors. And this wonderment which I believe God gave me, continues to shape and mold who I am as a person - someone my younger self never could have conceived! Sometimes I think back to when I was a teenager like these youth I'm mentoring. Isn't it funny how we thought we had our whole lives planned out, where we'd be, what we'd be doing, who we would have married? My life is nowhere where I imagined. It's even BETTER! (Not without difficulties and hardships of course) All of this is really a testament of my adventures with God and how He redeemed my life when He stepped in my early twenties. 


If you're reading this and feel like you haven't arrived yet and are unfulfilled, lost, confused, not sure what your purpose is, I would say this, "You don't know what you don't know." You are on a path to get there and have no idea where life can take you in the next five years.Two years even! You can look back and say "Wow!" just like I did since my last blog post. Keep reaching, keep learning, if you have faith, keep seeking God because He made you and knows the gifts He put inside of you. If you don't ascribe to any kind of faith, always remember your WHY, what drives you. That points to your purpose. Because I said yes to possibilities and stretching out of my comfort zones, I discovered even more about myself. Things I didn't know I could do! 


Signing off on this impromptu pep-talk {mostly thinking out loud} but I hope it has uplifted and encouraged someone out there. :)


Go for it, I believe in you! 
​

I wanted to share about some of the projects that I've been doing outside of the studio as of late. As a piano teacher, you tend to have your hand in a little bit of everything which is exciting that there can be such a demand on your skills in such a vast arena! Here are just a few of the wonderful doors that have opened to me during my career:

• Worship directing
• High school choir accompanying
• Weddings
• Vocal coaching
• Gigging & going on a U.S. tour with a band
• Solo piano benefit concert
• Jam sessions
• Workshop teaching for children's theatre camp
• Weekly pre-school music teaching
• Pit musician
• Funeral musician (although sad sometimes, these are a true honor to be asked to perform)
• Musical theatre directing

Now that last one is extra cool! I have been given this amazing opportunity to musically direct a beloved musical called Rent, and what a learning experience it has been! I'm humbled by the fact that I am even here, with an incredibly talented cast at San Jose State University withOUT a degree in musical theatre. It is also an exciting time to be here because I get to see the TRFT department grow into something bigger for the future, and who knows what it holds! 2 years ago I directing "Into the Woods" using backing tracks. This year I was given the okay to direct a live pit band which I  have never done before. But there is something inside of me that tells me I was made for this and that everything will work itself out. I am growing as a musician and as a leader, and I stand here so thankful especially looking back at that list above to see the great adventure that is my life. Music is truly a gift given to me from God. What would my life look like without it? I can't even imagine! Can't wait to see what else is in store.

If anyone reading this would like to check out our production, it runs:
Wednesday May 11th 7:00 pm Tech/Dress Preview
Thursday May 12th 7:00 pm Opening
Friday May 13th 11:00 am Matinee
Saturday May 14th 7:00 pm Closing

It is free and by donation only. 100% of proceeds from the box office will benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. 

Picture here is my boy, Marty. I decided to feature him here because as I am settling in to married life,  five months in now, I realize how much I've adapted to a dog in my living and work space. Let me tell you, having a dog has changed my life! For the better of course. :) I always wanted a dog since I was child, and I guess my prayers have been answered! By now, all of my students have encountered Marty and have formed their first impressions of him. The consensus almost all the way across the board from my little pianists: "Super cute! But I'm a little freaked out..." haha

In a way I adopted him. Before life with me, Marty and my husband Lamont lived in a bachelor pad in downtown, Campbell that looked like a hip English pub, if you can picture that. Marty lived a very simple life as an apartment dog and was not accustomed to constant visitors or the foreign sounds of a garage door opening or even doorbells! The sound of children intrigues him and makes his ears perk up. And when I practice on the piano myself, he picks the same spot on the couch and listens until he dozes off. <3  In many aspects however, he didn't have the easiest time adjusting...A new environment can be overwhelming all at once, but I am so proud of my boy for all the changes he has endured this year! He has enriched my life and brought so much joy and laughter into this house, and it's just great to have a companion working from home through the week. There is NEVER a dull moment with this guy! He has taught me patience and unconditional love.Dogs are the best. I hope I've been a good dog mom so far.  

Fun facts about Marty:
-He will be 5 years old on Halloween 2015
-He retrieves pears from my backyard and drops them at my feet
-Marty's farts can clear a room...
-He has a friend who visits him in the backyard. We call her Boo Boo Kitty
-Marty ran out of the side gate during a lesson once and I found him within the hour because I called out to him, and he kept barking back. I recognized his bark and it lead me straight to the house of the nice man who found him wandering around the neighborhood.
-Sometimes he sleeps with his eyes open...
-Marty came to us all the way from St. Louis Missourri on a plane as a French Bulldog dressed up as a Boston Terrier (Frenchton)

Welcome to my blog! You will find a little bit of everything here: my experiences as a piano teacher, some background of my life outside of teaching, my personal interests and hobbies, a glimpse into the other projects I am involved in, or whatever else pops into my mind at the moment! Thanks for visiting, and I hope it will be a fun place to get to know "Ms. Holly" as my students say.