The Sweetest Song
I'm driving past this aging apartment building in the city and recalling a young man who once called that run-down place home. It was the least likely place one would ever guess a song could be born out of... but aren't some of the most impressionable things often birthed from the painful ones? For over thirty years, my father was a middle school band director. In both California and then Alaska, he faithfully stewarded the musical journeys of hundreds of young people, some of whom continued on with their instrument and performance years after they left his classroom. I was just a few months old when my mom brought me to my first concert of dad's bands, so I practically grew up around music right from the start. I used to love handing out concert programs for my dad when I was older and watching all of the young people do their thing. Since I was homeschooled and had educational flexibility, I even got to go with mom to watch dad's bands compete ...
