Happy 2022!
My birthday falls in the first week of January, so the new year always feels like a double reset for me. Like many others at this time of year, I find myself reflecting on the past and looking to the future, and I thought it would be fun to share what some of my music-making goals for 2022 are. In addition to setting specific goals, I also pick an overarching theme for the year. In the past I’ve chosen themes that were designed more for my life as a mom—some prior themes were “play,” “home,” and “style.” But this year I’m planning something different. This year my theme is…
Read MoreSinging The Battle Hymn of the Republic reminds me that there have always been people willing to sacrifice for what is right.
Read MoreI remember January 2019 feeling spacious and chill, a calm after the Christmas storm. And I expected January 2020 to feel the same. This year felt promising— I was looking forward to turning 40 on January 6th and celebrating the start of a new decade.
Read MoreAndy Z is a local legend. He’s the man behind several children’s albums and the creator of my favorite kids’ Halloween album/rock opera, The Grand Scream of Things. Andy Z performs all over the Bay Area and when my kids were younger, we’d frequently go to the well-attended (and free) Mommy & Me events at Westgate Shopping Center and Santana Row. My kids are both in school now but they still sing Andy Z’s songs at home!
Are you new to Andy Z? Here are a few of our favorite songs for this time of year:
Read MoreLast Saturday, September 28, 2019, was the day of the Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center. This was my second time at the festival, and it felt even bigger and better than last year! My involvement in the festival consisted of running a booth in the Marketplace and leading two beginner’s workshops. Here are some more details on both:
Read MoreHave you been to a BollyX class? BollyX is a high energy, Bollywood-inspired cardio dance workout (similar to Zumba) and, at my age, these classes are the closest I get to a night out at the club. I found the music video for my favorite BollyX song on YouTube, which has over 122 million views. “Gallan Goodiyaan,” from the movie Dil Dhadakne Do, was shot in one take (!) and features an all-star cast, including an adorable and captivating Priyanka Chopra. Please watch it:
Read MoreA guilty pleasure is something you enjoy against your better judgment. I started thinking about songs that fit into this category after hearing a Fergie song while I was in the grocery store. It took all of my self control to continue shopping like a normal person and not start crooning in the cereal aisle! I’m trying to embrace my musical tastes a bit more these days, and that—for better or worse—includes the awful songs I’m ashamed to admit I love.
Here’s a round up of five of my guilty pleasures, including the original music videos—all of which are special in their own right— plus links to uke tutorials and/or chords and lyrics in case you want to play along. Are you ready to cringe? :)
Read MoreI teach a beginner’s ukulele course in San Jose, CA, and while I do share modern popular music with my students, I primarily teach using well-known folk songs. I occasionally get asked why folk music???? — just like that, with a really big question mark at the end— and it seems that folk music has developed a reputation for being outdated and/or not very fun or interesting. That’s not the case! There’s a lot to love about folk music, and here I’m sharing four reasons why folk music is perfect for beginning musicians:
Read MoreMy primary goal for Musical Mama is to share the joy of making music, and I’m so grateful for the opportunities I had to do just that. If you engaged with me in some way, whether you took lessons from me, attended a workshop, read a blog post, watched a video, or purchased one of my books, THANK YOU!
2018 has been a big, exciting, and challenging year for me. I’m usually too eager to start working on the next new thing to look back on the past, but I’ve been encouraged by my husband and a couple of friends to do a little reflecting. So, per their request, here’s a look back on some of my milestones from the past year. Here are four “hits” and two “misses”:
Read MoreAt the time I’m writing this, my children are 7 and 5 and I have regained my sanity (my memory, not so much!). But when I was a new mom, life felt so much harder.
Read MoreYoga was something I enjoyed in my life before children, but when I became pregnant with my first kid I developed awful carpal tunnel that made many yoga poses impossible. That carpal tunnel morphed into really painful tendonitis after my son was born, and my weak wrists and hands never fully recovered. For the past seven+ years, I would experience intermittent pain and/or tingling when I would play my ukulele which, as you can imagine, was frustrating and limiting.
Read MoreAbout five years ago my husband surprised me with a piano for Christmas (big surprises are kind of his thing). We had talked about wanting one for our family, and I had visions of listening to our children sit down to play and sing for us. Of course, our son was only two at the time and I was very pregnant with my daughter, so no one really had much time or ability to play it. The piano mostly collected dust that first year.
Read MoreMy husband and I have taken the kids to Disneyland a handful of times, and each of us has a different priority when we go— my husband wants to go on all the rides, the kids want to meet all the characters, and I want to see all of the "park atmosphere entertainment" (the term used for the many musical acts that perform throughout the parks). There are so many opportunities to catch live music throughout the park, and taking a few minutes to stop and listen is sure to add a little magic to your next visit. Here are a few of my favorite musical acts:
Read MoreThe temperatures in San Jose were back in the triple digits yesterday, so I packed the kids up into the car and we escaped to Seacliff State Beach, just south of Santa Cruz. I'm partial to this beach, simply because it's so accessible.
Read MoreOne night long ago, my husband took our baby son out for a walk. I stayed home to spend the evening wrapping Christmas presents. Sounds mundane, right? But it was heavenly. I had two whole hours to dedicate to a task with absolutely no interruptions. That night was the first time in months that I experienced that lovely state of flow, where I was able to completely lose myself in an activity.
Losing the opportunity for "flow" is, for me, one of the most difficult aspects of parenting.
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