I couldn't agree more! Having also had music threaded through my life, from learning to play violin a child, through buying a guitar with my first pay packet, and singing in choirs, to being involved with folk, it's difficult to imagine a life without. Sadly, so many people these days are convinced that they shouldn't open their mouths to sing at all, and that only those who are 'good' enough to make it onto TV talent competitions should ever sing. Sadly again, this is also reinforced by the almost 'de rigueur' pained expressions, and hands over ears, from family and friends, whenever someone does start to sing. The same, incidentally, is true of dancing. Some years ago, at the end of a longish taxi ride during which we'd been discussing this very thing, and the driver had expressed a real sadness that music had never been a part of his family's life, I gave him, as a generous tip, the money to buy himself a cheap ukulele, so that he could start out playing and singing; with the request that he give the money to charity if he chose not to buy the uke after all. Maybe he just smiled to himself and pocketed the tip. Or maybe he shrugged his shoulders and gave the money to a charity. But I like to think that he did buy that uke, and introduced himself and his family to the endless wonders of making music together.
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