I’m amazed at the energy level and talent of the dancers at these performances, the intricate and unique music, and the bright colors these individuals bring to the stage. I’ve put together a video of some of the music and dances we’ve seen in Penang recently. I’ve also included some pictures below of these events along with a few other photos I took at the Penang butterfly garden (excellent), toy museum (so-so), Fort Cornwallis (interesting), and other outings with friends.

If you haven’t been following us on Twitter or Facebook, we’re now in Kuala Lumpur and loving it here! Chinese New Year is approaching, and red lanterns and Chinese displays are everywhere. We’ve even seen some additional dance performances in the malls as we’ve been walking around, like beautiful fan dances. We love living in such a culturally diverse and interesting country.

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Listen to the recordings below and let me know what you think. I think I like the Spanish translation best (and the recording is better, too). I have also updated my Music page where you can hear other arrangements I’ve done.

Audio Recordings (mp3)

Where Can I Turn For Peace (English version)

Dónde hallo el solaz (Spanish version)

Sheet music (PDF)

Where Can I Turn for Peace.pdf (Both English and Spanish included)

I should also offer a disclaimer that I don’t have any fancy recording studio equipment and the quality of the recordings is pretty poor. I’m getting a better microphone in a few weeks, which should help, but I did the best with what I had (including my very novice recording skills). Here is a list of what I used to make these recordings:

• Sibelius 6 for music notation
• Casio Celviano AP-24 digital piano
• Truepianos piano sample (used on English version)
• Galaxypianos Steinway D sample (used on Spanish version). I prefer this to Truepianos.
• Logitech USB headset for microphone (meant for chatting, but it’s all I have)
• Garageband

I hope you enjoy the arrangements! Next I think I’ll work on a male quartet arrangement (barbershop style) of “Have I Done Any Good?” Any other requests?

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I have been an assistant director of this choir since 2004, during which time we have sung Handel’s “Messiah”, Haydn’s “Creation”, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah”, Vivaldi’s “Gloria”, and Duruflé’s “Requiem”. It’s been an enjoyable experience, especially since I’ve been able to work with my childhood piano teacher and high school choral director (and good friend), Dr. Morris Lee – an incredible man with a brilliant musical mind, commitment to excellence, and a kind heart. He’s the director of the choir.

Despite coming from a long line of choral directors (my dad and grandpa both taught choir in high school, as well as an uncle), and having sung in choirs all my life, I chose not to go into music as a career, but instead chose to keep it as an active hobby. I did teach piano growing up, and have directed choirs before, but usually among my peers.

Having no formal choral conducting training (except for a week-long workshop I took at the University of Utah a couple years ago), I often felt inadequate in my abilities to lead the choir, and also a little intimidated because the majority of the choir members are more than double my age, and most have more musical experience than I do. Fortunately, they were forgiving, and we got along fine.

I was slightly more comfortable at the piano, but sight-reading Handle and Duruflé isn’t the easiest task either – I did need to practice. Fortunately, I only had to fill in for Holly (our fabulous accompanist) once or twice a season, but that was enjoyable too.

This year, I am also honored in that they are dedicating this year’s performance of the Messiah to me! I was very surprised when I heard this, but honored. There will be a short bio about me in the program as well. How sweet of them!

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Oratorio Society. It’s been a good experience, and I’ve made some nice friends. I will miss singing such great music with such great people under such great direction. But I will look forward to seeing them successfully go on to their 100th year and beyond.

If you want to come hear our performances of Handel’s Messiah this year, I’d love to see you there. Here are the details:

Saturday, December 12th, 2009, 7:00pm

Sunday, December 13, 2009, 7:00pm

Tickets can be purchased at the door.

[Also, notice that I added a "Music" tab to the top of this website. I put my hymn arrangements and sheet music there for free download. I hope to put up more in the future.]

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The past couple weeks, I’ve found myself with quite a bit of extra time on my hands. Somehow, I’ve usually been able to finish up work-related tasks in under an hour a day, and less than that on tracking finances or doing household tasks. Now that we don’t have a house or so much “stuff” to worry about, I’m magically finding myself left with lots of time to fill! This is a good problem to have, I think.

As much as I’ve heard how it’s good advice to have “down time” to just relax and do nothing, I still find that a challenge. I try to play pool, or sit around and relax, which is nice here and there. But sooner or later, I feel like I’ve just got to be up and doing something “productive”.

I continue to make lists of things I want to accomplish during the day, or the week, and work to accomplish them, but the lists are less stringent than they use to be. I only list a few tasks, and I try to make them things that are truly important to me – not just mundane stuff that needs to be done anyway. This week, my list has included things like “Play Mario Kart with my kids”, “Study Spanish”, and “Make videos of our Panama trip”. But the two things I’ve probably spent the most time on the past few weeks have been composing music, and typing my old journals.

Composing Music

I have enjoyed playing the piano and singing since I was young, and wrote a number of pieces in high school, but just haven’t had (made) the time since. Well, now I’m making the time! I’ve written a couple hymn arrangements for piano, and am working on a vocal arrangement of “Away in a Manger” for Christmas time. It’s been loads of fun, and I really enjoy sharing this part of me. I hope these arrangements will lift others’ spirits as well.

To hear a recording of me playing my arrangements, click the links below.

How Great the Humble Birth

I Am a Child of God

Note: These were recorded in Garageband through a MIDI interface, so the piano sound isn’t as nice as a real piano, and it misinterpreted how hard/soft I hit some of the keys. Anyway, I made some sheet music for them, too. If you want it, let me know, and I can send you a pdf you can print.

Typing Old Journals

I’ve also been typing my old journals into Google Docs (which is the only word processor I use these days). I started writing in a journal when I was 12 years old and now I’ve typed almost to the end of my 15th year. I’m now 29, so I have a ways to go (I wrote a lot), but I started typing my journals in 2003, so I can just read once I hit that point.

It’s been really interesting to look back at who I was and how I thought, as well as the ways that I’ve grown, and the lessons I’ve learned and sometimes forgotten.

One thing I noticed about my younger self (we’re talking Jr. High and High School days) was that I was surrounded by so many more people. I wrote a lot about how I’d care about someone who was having a hard time, and would pray for them throughout the day, how I’d visit friends who were sick, how I’d sing with friends, serve with friends, and play with friends. I was filled with a lot of love for others, and felt a lot of love from others. It was a great time, and I’m surprised to see how much of that I’ve lost!

Now, working from home as I do, I can go for several days without seeing anyone but my wife and kids. Even when I did work in an office, being a computer programmer, I was usually alone. Likewise, most of the activities I do now, I do alone. For years, I chose to put a lot of outside activities on hold to have more time to build my business. And I’ve realized that all of this loneliness has taken its toll on me socially and in relationships.

I haven’t been one to make much time to be with friends. I usually go to events or parties if someone invites me, but there have only been a handful of times when I’ve initiated these types of events. I’m not sure why, but the consequence has been that I don’t feel as close to people outside my family as I used to. That’s okay in some ways, because my family relationships are the most important to me. But I realize friendship is an important part of my life I’ve been neglecting lately, and I’d like to take more time to build friendships in the years ahead, and go out and serve a little more. And, especially because we’re home schooling, I want to make sure I provide this opportunity to my kids as well.

So, a big apology to any of my friends out there who have felt forgotten over the years. And a big thanks for all you’ve meant to me in my life. It’s amazing how many great experiences I’ve had, and how much help I’ve received from friends – that I had forgotten. I’m so glad I wrote them down in my journal!

A Balanced Life

I now have a lot more spare time than I used to, which is wonderful. But I think if I really put my mind to it, I could have made the time to compose music or review my journals, at any time during the past 15 years. It may have taken longer, but I still could have done it. It’s just not where I put my focus. But really, if I had tried to raise a family, go to school, work at a job, build a business, hang out with friends, compose music, and more, all at the same time, nothing would have ever gotten done well, and I would have been stressed out – not fulfilled. Actually, I did all of that for a while and it was pretty crazy.

Sometimes I think it’s necessary to reduce or eliminate certain activities from your life, so you can focus on what’s most important to you at the time. I guess I cut out some social activities and some music in order to build my business. Now I’m focusing more on those, and less on the business (because I have so much help that it almost runs itself). Maybe a “balanced” life doesn’t mean doing everything all at once. Maybe it’s more about doing what’s most important and fulfilling to you, right now, while temporarily saying “no” to other things.

Well, I’m going to go work on that hymn arrangement now.

How do you spend your spare time?

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I haven’t been in a musical since Jr. High school (unless you count some little one-act plays I did in High School). And I’ve only ever had a lead role – I like being in the spotlight for this kind of thing. But after seeing how much fun Jen had in Seussical last year, we decided that this year would be my turn, and Joseph is one of my favorites. My sister has been the narrator in it, my mom played in the pit when I was a kid, and my dad even did it at his school last year.

There was some excellent talent at callbacks, both from the men and the ladies. I knew the director would have a tough time deciding who should have the main roles. I was hoping for the role of Joseph, and was pretty confident going into it, but after I saw the other talent, I knew it would be a close call. But there are so many fun songs in that show, I knew I wanted to be in it regardless.

I found out today that I was cast as Judah! He’s the one who sings the Benjamin Calypso song near the end of the show! I remember when the director had us each do that song. I really jumped in with a lot of energy and was almost silly in how I pulled it off, banging on my pretend steel drums and dancing around almost like I was drunk. I guess she liked it. :) Here’s a video of someone else doing the song.

So, the next couple months will be pretty busy with rehearsals for the show, but I think it will be a good and fun experience. I think it brings out some good things in me – the “inner child”.

In fact, after four hours of callbacks I was so exhausted I came home and rested; but that evening I had so much energy! We went to the grocery store and I was extremely goofy, pushing the girls really fast in the Harmon’s shopping “car”, even riding on it myself, and swinging to kick my heels together in the air every so often. Jen even caught me jumping off the hood of our little Corolla after putting the shopping cart away. I haven’t been that crazy in years, but I was having so much fun…at the…grocery…store… Is that what acting does to you?

One more bonus – they’re letting kids as young as 5 be in the children’s chorus if their parents are in the cast, so I’m going to have Emily join me on the stage! She is so excited, and I think we’ll have a good time.

Oh, and for those interested in coming to see it, performances are June 19, 20, 22, 26, 27 & 29, 2009 held at South Jordan Middle School.

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