I’ve been working in the area of music for all of my adult life.
Indeed,
music has been a part of my entire life.
My piano studies began very early.
I was four-years-old
and my first lessons were with my mother,
who is herself an accomplished classical pianist.
(My mother once performed for the President of Mexico!)
Blah, blah, blah,
yadda, yadda, yadda. . .
. . . and cut to today. . .
I am a Church Musician and Choir Director
and have been directing choirs for 30 years.
I currently direct the adult choir (of 12 members)
and a children's choir (32 members)
at Detroit's St. Gabriel Parish.
The adult choir sings primarily in Spanish
and the children sing both English and Spanish,
and occasionally in Latin.
I come from a very musical family.
My sister, Edna,
and my brother, Pete,
also serve in the area of music
for their respective churches.
My mother, now in her 80's,
also continues to offer her musical gifts to her church.
I also work with MOSAIC Youth Theatre
in the First Stage Program,
geared for children ages 7-10.
I am working with these young people to develop their singing voice.
MOSAIC’S First Stage
is housed in
COMPAS - Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest,
which is located in Southwest Detroit.
I also direct a Latina Women's Choir,
El Cántico de la Mujer Latina.
This group was formed several years ago
for an event for The National Association of Pastoral Musicians,
and has remained together ever since.
Cántico de la Mujer Latina is an artistic group of women.
We challenge others via creative means,
using music, poetry and the arts.
Our music and our readings are done in
Spanish, English, Latin, and Nahuatl.
(Nahuatl is the first language of St. Juan Diego,
and the language Our Lady spoke
when She visited him)
For the most part,
we use music, poetry and art
written and created by Latin women,
including original works by some of our members.
Yours truly
is not only the pianist and director
of this artistic women's group,
but the in-house poet.
Marcy, our guitarist and co-director,
is our in-house composer.
This group has traveled extensively
and has performed as such places as
U of D/Mercy in Detroit;
The Southwest Liturgical Conference in Albuquerque;
Northpark University in Chicago.
But perhaps our most memorable event
was serving as music ministry
for the Feast of the Assumption
at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
in Mexico City.
Cántico de la Mujer Latina
is featured in
Latinas in the United States, A Historical Encyclopedia,
Indiana University Press.
. . .and yes. . .
Cántico de la Mujer Latina
will be performing at this music festival.
In recent years,
I’ve become more and more concerned
about the state of music in the church.
It is not enough for me to be directing the choirs anymore.
I need to know
that I am actively doing something
that will help to create the pastoral musician
who will one day replace me.
To that end,
I am the piano/keyboard teacher
at Detroit's
COMPAS - Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest.
A brand new center of Music and Visual Arts
has opened in Detroit
and I am now officially teaching piano there.
When I'm not at St. Gabriel or COMPAS
you'll find me at Garage Cultural.
I recently started teaching piano from my home studio.
So sometimes
you’ll find me in Wyandotte at
The Little Piano House.
Hopefully,
the seeds are being planted
and within these various centers of music study
will be nurtured that young person
who will one day replace me
as a church music director.
I am a wife and mother of three.
My husband and I both
are a great lover of the arts,
art in all her forms.
My husband is, himself, an artist.
He is a talented painter.
Acrylics are his medium.
We make our home
in Wyandotte, MI.
Music is my life,
and church music has most certainly
played a major role in it.
God bless the pastoral musicians,
especially those who serve
in The Archdiocese of Detroit!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
about the photo:
a pic of my hands
taken by my good friend, Kyra.
this was taken at a concert held
at Detroit's St. Gabriel Parish.
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