Raven

Aside from loving it all my life, I "taught" myself to play acoustic guitar a couple of years ago because I had a burning need to say something meaningful, to make something better in the world. My songs are my effort in raising the vibe.

Gifted with a good set of pipes, a great set of lungs, a pretty decent ear, and more heart than anybody ever needed - I have been told that my voice makes people respond emotionally to the message. If so, I am Graced.

I started playing concert flute when I was in the second grade. I wasn't ever a very good sight reader, but was good enough by ear to hide it. I was able to read music reasonably well, but visually the time signature never translated for me.

From this difference in learning modality, I was convinced that I would never be anything but a mediocre musician. By my early 20's, I had "given up " music completely.

A few short years later, I was introduced to Multicultural Hand Drumming by a dear friend and his flute-wise wife who introduced me to Native American Flute, and I took off running. It was such an intuitive and natural instrument, it taught me that there is music in all of us, and no man can ever be the measure of another's music. It freed me to just experience my own music.

Since then, I have dabbled with a number of instruments - from many different ethnic flutes, to melodica, keyboard, clarinet, violin and, of course, guitar. I have been teaching Native American Flute and Concert Flute for the past eight years. I also play in a Native Flute and Drum Performance Duo, RavenSong. I've also been known to play bodhran (Irish Drum) along with some of the wildest pipers, which are of course my preference in Pipers =o).

Of course I am Ty's mother, as well, but it's a story I'll let him tell you. It's his to tell.