A Change in Me...

I feel like it's been a while since I have posted anything, and it really has been a while.  I was going to post my current project when it was finished, but it is taking too long.  So I figured, in the meantime, I would do a music post.  Since the live action "Beauty and the Beast" recently came out, I wanted to do a song from the musical version you would see on stage, "A Change in Me."  The title of this post is actually fitting because technically, this was just a warm-up recording so that I could hear myself and correct a few things, but I thought it was okay enough to share.  This was just working on one specific effect of warming up my sound when I sing because I have a tendency to sing very bright.  It definitely helps to listen to yourself when you practice.  I thank God every day for the talents that He has blessed me with, and I am so grateful for the ability to share them with others.  I hope you all do the same, whether it be music, food, languages, compassion, service, crafts, sewing, or anything else that you're good at.  Just remember who gave you those gifts and use them for good!  Here is the link to A Change in Me

'Tis the Season... to be Singing!

It's that time of year again!  There's a chill in the air, snow on the ground (except for Southern Arizona), and everyone is ready for sleigh rides, hot cocoa and cuddle buddies.  It is also the exciting time of the year when musicians are at their busiest, because everyone wants their Christmas music at their holiday-themed parties.  Most of my holiday season consists of concerts, recitals and various other performances, and one such performance is my winter recital.  This year was particularly great in the sense that I didn't get my yearly cold until AFTER I sang this year.  The two songs I sang were "Sleigh Ride" and "Chi Voul La Zingarella." Check them out here at Chi Voul La Zingarella and Sleigh Ride

Winter Recital

I must say, this concert season has reeked havoc on my voice.  With two concerts, a recital, and countless performances at church, my voice has been through the ringer, with just barely being able to sing tonight due to lack of voice.  That being said, I thought this particular performance (barring the random break in the middle of the song) was not too bad.  I don't usually do much acting when it comes to my vocal pieces, but after this one I think I should do a lot more.  This is a link to my video of the song "Adelaide's Lament" from the musical "Guys and Dolls."  Enjoy!  Adelaide's Lament

Voices of Christmas

Last year and this year I got to perform in one of the best choirs I have ever been in.  It is purely a volunteer choir and we come together to sing during the holiday season for Voices of Christmas.  This choir has been around for twelve years and it has only gotten bigger.  These last two years we were able to make it to sing in the Mesa Arts Center which has been one of our goals for a very long time.  The object of the Voices of Christmas choir is for families who are not able to go see the fancy shows that cost a lot of money because finances are tight to be able to come and enjoy a free concert that celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I feel so privileged to sing in this choir, and I have been blessed to be able to share this experience with two of my siblings and several friends.

Below are some pictures from after our performance:

Gilbert High School's Choir BBQ

Tonight was one that was worked toward for quite a long time.  It was the first time that all of my siblings and I decided to sing together.  Now we all have varying degrees of vocal ability, with some of us being classically trained and others having only sung along to the radio, but we pulled it off.  Two of my siblings go to Gilbert High School and are in the choirs there, and every year the choirs put together a Choir BBQ.  This includes food, raffles, silent auctions, a jailhouse and live entertainment provided by the students.  This year, amongst all of our busy schedules we were able to get together, prepare a song, audition, make the cut and perform the song "Compass" by Lady Antebellum at the BBQ.  It was an amazing experience to be up on stage with all of my siblings just having fun!  It was western themed, obviously, so one of my brothers decided to dress up as Woody from "Toy Story."  It was my second time being on this stage, my first being able to sing with my cousin when she was in choir there, singing "Jesus Take the Wheel."  What a fantastic choir program Gilbert High School has!

My siblings and I after our performance:

Singing the National Anthem at Chase Field

Today I got to do something incredibly fun.  Something I never thought I would ever have had the opportunity to do, and that was to sing the National Anthem at Chase Field for the Diamondbacks opener.  I couldn't believe it!  The choir that I sing in for Voices of Christmas was chosen as the group to come sing the National Anthem tonight and I loved every minute of it!  Even though it was quite difficult singing on the field because the massive sound system kind of swallows you whole and echoes ridiculously loud back to you.  But you know, it was an experience that I loved and I hope I will get the chance to do it again sometime. Here is a link to our song: National Anthem


Below are some of the pictures of us at Chase Field:

Voice Lessons

So I started taking voice lessons a year ago to strengthen my vocal abilities, but had to stop for a bit due to money issues.  Now, I am back at it and going strong, learning something new every day.  Singing is what I love to do the most.  It is what I do morning, noon and night, and I love learning new techniques to use to develop my songs.  I thought I'd post some of what I sang back at the beginning of my lessons to see how I've developed over time, both in my classical training and my Broadway songs.  Just some fun stuff.  :-)

Christmas Eve Traditions

Tonight is Christmas Eve and the Ray family celebrated it the way our tradition has always been celebrated, with good food, marvelous family and wonderful entertainment!  The way we celebrate on Christmas Eve is to share our talents with one another, and to see what each other has been up to throughout the year.  We have pianists, vocalists, guitarists, violinists, dancers, actors and actresses, violists, cellists, bakers and artists amongst our family tree, and we all have something to give.  I feel so blessed to come from such a wonderful family with such amazing talent, and I know that this tradition will stay with us for a very long time.  Posted here is the song that I have been trying to get my sister and mom to sing with me for a very long time, and they finally agreed to it this year!  I was so happy!  After three quick practices, this was our Christmas Eve performance.

Music and Arts Fall Carnival!

Okay, so this happened about a week ago, today, but I've only just had enough time to blog about it now.  Last Wednesday, October 24th, the music store I used to work at, Music and Arts on Stapley and Baseline in Gilbert, had its second annual Fall carnival.  There were games, prizes, a raffle for a guitar and a keyboard, trick-FOR-treating (basically meaning you had to roll a dice and do the "trick" you landed on to get a piece of candy), a costume contest and live music!  We had students from the Music and Arts lesson studios perform for our live audiences and they all did a fabulous job!  The costumes were great and the carnival was a blast!  I can't wait until next year! (I would post pictures, but I was not the one taking pictures so I have none.)

Let's Begin! (A little bit about me)

I have loved music all my life. I come from a musical background, with my mom's mom, my aunt and my mom all having choir backgrounds, and my dad's mom and my dad both being pianists. I also have siblings who play the violin, viola, cello, piano and sing. At about age three I would sing nursery rhyme songs using my grandparent's fireplace for a stage during family gatherings. I loved singing every week in Primary, and it helped that my dad was the Primary pianist. At age six I was in a singing group called "Kathy's Kids," and I still remember the actions to some of the songs we did. When I turned seven, my dad started me on piano and I still, somehow, have the ability to play. At age ten, I started violin in school and played all the way through my senior year in high school, being able to play in the pit orchestra for our high school musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." At twelve, I joined choir in church, and at thirteen I picked it up in school. The violin was my instrument of choice for a while, until I graduated high school. After high school I had the privilege of taking violin, voice and cello lessons for a period of time, and I tried my luck in auditions for the ASU Herberger School of Music with no avail, so I'm minoring in music instead. I have also auditioned for the Symphony of the Southwest and EVMCO, for the experience if nothing else, and I am auditioning again for EVMCO this September on violin. I have also tried my hand at the viola, upright string bass, half-size harp and acoustic guitar, but singing will always be my first love. I have never given a thought to going professional because I love being able to play and sing at my leisure, and I am still able to perform for the extended family every Christmas Eve. I love almost all types of music, but my favorites are musicals and classical music. One of my favorite things to do while listening to classical music is to guess the era and composer before the piece ends. If that doesn't make me a music nerd then I don't know what does! I have also taken part in an a capella group. Right now, I do anything from writing lyrics to arranging two- and three-part songs for Christmas to writing quartet pieces for my siblings and I to play.


That is a look into the talent portion of my music, but I also have a thirst for the knowledge of how music affects people and why they listen to the kind of music they do. I have worked a bit with different aspects of how people with diseases and disabilities are affected by and respond to music, and I get a lot of my research from Oliver Sacks, especially from his book entitled "Musicophilia." I have also dabbled in music therapy and how that career can be both challenging and rewarding, as well as how music therapy helps reach people who have had all other hopes abandoned by them and those around them. I find it particularly interesting on how certain music helps with stress, which I am kin to. Music theory also fascinates me, because of all the different ways one can write a piece of music, and all the different tools they have at their disposal. It answers all of the 'why' questions I so frequently ask when I'm learning something new. Last, but most certainly not least, I love the different feelings I get with the different pieces of music. Each piece or song speaks to me differently, even if I'm using two for the same thing. I love the way music joins together the most unlikely people, sometimes in the most awkward situations, and makes them friends through even a single song. "Music is what feelings sound like," and it is universal.