Japanese Music Life

The number one reason is the look on the faces of kids - and sometimes adults, too. But I work mostly with kids. To see them transported into a story is amazing to me. Seeing my own two boys be transported into stories was how I started telling stories myself.

Everyone says that, I know. But it's true - their faces say it all. It makes me feel like I am doing something good, meaningful - like I am watering young plants with words, and nourising their minds with ideas and stories,

Stories are so low tech. I like the fact that I can share stories - and music - with just me, my instrumnet, and sometimes some puppet friends. I love the low tech aspect. So simple - the words, the music, the story line that draws people in. There is something inside all of us that relates to that.

I enjoy creating them too. Often, I don't really like a story until I start working on it; how would I tell it? What is important in the story to me? What do I want to bring out in the story. Each story has numerous elements that can be emphasized, ignored, expanded on, or embellished. I have made a commitment - as a mother, as a humanitarian - to bring out elements of cooperation, nonviolent conflict resolution, gratitude. Yet, I want my stories to be fun. And I want to make music a part of them. Those are my peramiters. It is a challenge.

I sleep with my stories. I fall asleep thinking of them, dream of them, then wake up with ideas of how to tell them. This didn't happen to me when I was strictly a musician. But it happens when I work with stories and music. Something about the power of words and ideas.

More on this later....