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Singing carols at home
It’s starting to saturate the airwaves everywhere. It’s just that time of the year.
For someone who loves to sing and play Christmas carols, you’d think I’d be delighted to hear it everywhere.
But, I’m not. Nope. It’s a fact that in most cases I just can’t stand it!!
I’ve been naive enough to believe the dictionary definition of “music” which is the art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.
And a huge proportion of what I hear may skilfully combine sounds, but I’ve discovered that while music makes noise, not all noise is music! (whether skillful or not!)
Much of what I hear today, is not music at all.
It’s just producing noise in a world that already saturates our environment with enough metallic discordant sound that keeps jangling our already jaded nerves.
When I actually hear music that skilfully combines vocal or instrumental music and produces beauty of form, harmony and expression of emotion, I am drawn to it like a dry sponge that draws in the delightful moisture around.
And emotions of calm, confidence, peace and sheer joy flourish and blossom.
We can’t choose the “noise” we’re exposed to in every situation, but we can choose to keep it out of our homes. 
Carefully chosen Christmas tunes can help create the “Sweet” in “Home, Sweet Home.”
Try it and see.
Dear Stephen, Thank you so much for the lovely DVD and CD of your Cello playing. It is beautiful. I especially like your vibrato and tone quality. I am a violinist and retired teacher now 82 years old. Keep up the excellent playing and caring for others especially the blind orphanage children. Your mother is a very talented piano player also. Have you made any other recordings? Have your sisters made any recordings? Sincerely, Marjorie Jensen