Beth and I began writing and performing for children thirty-two years ago. Although it was not my dream to be a teaching artist, our being in this business has worked out very well for us and the people we’ve served. Apparently, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” (Allen Saunders)
As a kid, I had lots of other ideas about potential careers. Those included sheriff, chef, summer camp owner, psychologist and lawyer. Around 16, though, I was pretty sure that music was for me. My heroes were songwriters like Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, James Taylor and the folks who wrote the great Broadway musicals.
One of Bob Dylan’s contributions to music was his being the writer and the performer, so a lot of us would-be songwriters adjusted our dream, deciding that we needed to perform the tunes as well as compose them.
In high school and college, I recognized that I liked playing and singing and that it was a good way to make some money and have fun. That’s still true 40 years later.
But my real passion is still creating. That’s why I hope to retire one day so that I can concentrate more fully on developing as a writer. That includes keeping up with this blog and, maybe, writing a book before I leave this earth.
Thanks to the people who read, the ones who listen and all who have encouraged and supported me. The list is long and I’m very grateful to you.
