Piú

“. . . A man of knowledge increases . . .”

(Proverbs 24: 5b)

I want to be more . . .

I want to be better . . .

As I grow further into adulthood, I am increasingly surprised by the necessity for “more” in my life. Surrounded by enemies of progress such as laziness, complacency, and half-heartedness, I am learning day after day that I must resist the tendency to settle for less, to be okay with the “almost right,” and as my friend puts it, “to not accept the ‘good enough’ because it is, in fact, never good enough.” 

I need to keep striving for more.

Though my flesh craves the empty praises of people, I am not thinking specifically of more recognition or more human praise. I am not even speaking of more earthly success -- financial wealth, prestige, etc. I am truly striving for more excellence, an increasingly stronger commitment to excellence in all that I do. If I am to excel in my singing, teaching, training, and giving, then I need to apply more diligence and/or discipline in every task I undertake.

As I contemplate this whole search for “more” in my life, one musical term that comes to mind is the Italian word piú (pronounced PEW), which simply means, “more.” Yet, when coupled with qualifiers such as allegro (fast) or lento (slow), this tiny three-letter word can become quite demanding.

For example, when singing a Handel aria that is already quick in tempo and filled with fast-moving notes, called melisma or fioritura, a singer may faint with apprehension to see the marking piú allegro in the final section of the piece. The opposite is equally hard. I was singing a slow piece by Schubert called Nacht und Träume (Night and Dreams) when the tempo kept getting slower and slower in the hands of the pianist. It was extremely difficult for my lungs to slowly release the needed air for my singing.

This idea of “more” is entrenched in music instructors who spend years and years asking students for the following:

• More passion
• More vibrancy
• More practice time
• More sleep and rest
• More planning
• More preparation
• More trust
• More “letting go” and release
• More beauty of tone
• More intensity
• More dramatic truth
• More involvement
• More clarity of diction
• More polish
• More, better, stronger, deeper, faster, higher . . .

It is this continual quest for growth that produces in me the best I can offer to the art of music. It instills in me a respect for my art and a desire to raise the bar so that those who come after me will find it in a better state. The giants who came before me like Bach, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Wolf, Strauss, Bernstein, Copland, Leontyne Price, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and so many more, have all brought this art form to a higher place from which I can begin my own work. It is my duty and distinct honor to continue and persist boldly in their footsteps.


Yet, all of that amounts to less than nothing in light of eternity unless I acknowledge the need to grow more intimate with my gracious Lord Jesus and more loving toward those with whom I interact. Serving Him through my life requires so much more than music could ever claim. He wills me be generous in spirit, gracious in manner, gentle in speech, truthful in actions, loving in service, joyful in afflictions, earnest in prayer, pure in heart, honest in my condition, and obedient to His Word. 


No matter how much the world offers me, it is nothing unless I acknowledge the benefits of God’s love and the principles of sharing such love with others. Christ offers me undeserved grace, boundless joy, innumerable blessings, the ability to give and to forgive, the fellowship of others, and so much more. In response, I need to spend more time in His Word (reading, memorizing, meditating, praying, and sharing), more time focusing on serving my fellow man, and grow increasingly more alert to heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit.


These words from 2 Peter 3:18 say it best,

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

Of course, my call as a musician is quite challenging. However, I deem it a real privilege as it fosters in me this hunger for God and His Word. It also brings me to a place of humility as I see my inadequacies and that the only way for me to achieve more is to dwell in Him so that He can do in me what I can never accomplish on my own.


Today, I am alive and, therefore, I need to grow. 
Today, I am blessed to strive to become more.
Someday, I will be no more than a memory.
Someday, I will even be utterly forgotten. 


When I die, should someone speak at my memorial service, I pray and hope that it will be said of me that I lived a life of perpetual growth in my work and that I drew closer and closer to my true identity in Christ. Yet, in order for that to happen, I need to be willing to ask myself some honest questions: 

• Am I striving for more or am I content to merely get by with the “good enough”? 
• Am I continually growing in the grace and knowledge of my precious Lord Jesus?
• Is my heart more surrendered to the will of God, my mind more attuned to the desires of Christ’s heart, my body more controlled by the counsel of the Holy Spirit?
• Am I more intentional in seeking the Lord’s guidance in all my endeavors?
• Are my relationships becoming more Christ-filled and more God-honoring?
• Is my business, vocation, job, or life’s goal patterned more and more after the model that God’s Word provides?

May I surrender unabashedly to the Lordship of Christ who alone can turn all that I have, all that I am, and all that I can ever dream of becoming into something much more conducive to the exaltation of His name!


Father, I am grateful that in You can be found all that is needed for my growth in every area of my life. Help me to rely on You, to come to You, and to find even greater joy in knowing You more each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Tuning

"Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace."

I was, perhaps, fourteen years old when I attended my first orchestral concert. It was an unusual treat for me because there was only one professional orchestra in Haiti and ticket prices were steep. I was privileged to go because my older brother had taken his girlfriend to hear the orchestra two days earlier and was so impressed that he bought tickets for the repeat performance so my sister and I could also enjoy it in person.


I was not at all prepared for the cacophonous noise that was emanating from the stage when we walked in the hall some fifteen minutes before the scheduled performance. Clarinets, trumpets, cellos, drums, and oboes were all playing at the same time and it sounded awful. I could not believe that my brother wasted his precious money on such “awful” music.


Later, a short man, with a tiny violin in his hand, walked on the stage and silence invaded the room. When everything was quiet, he proceeded to play a single note and all the other instruments joined him on that note. I still doubted that anything good could really emerge from those musicians. Yet, from the time the conductor gave the downbeat to the last note of the performance, my heart soared with the beautiful music of Franck, Paganini, and Mozart which I heard that evening. It was unbelievable!


On our way home, I could not resist any longer and simply had to ask my brother why that short violinist played that single note and the others joined in. “The orchestra was tuning before the concert,” was his brief response. 


Now, over two decades later, I truly understand the meaning of that familiar ritual. Tuning is one aspect of all the preparations that make a big difference in the success of any endeavor or project. A good concert requires a great deal of preparation on the part of the performers, "behind-the-scenes" workers (family members, teachers, coaches, crew members, etc), and also the audience members. 


The performers have to refine their skills for a flawless execution, family members learn to encourage and assist the performers in every possible way, teachers and coaches train the performers to do their absolute best, crew members ensure the smooth operation of all technical elements of the production, and audience members prepare themselves to receive the musical offering with graciousness and gratitude. Without adequate preparation and the proper alignment of those different parts, however, this whole thing would collapse.


When one takes the time to adequately prepare and properly align specific tools for a job, it is called fine-tuning.  Fine-tuning is the job of the musician who looks upon all the elements of music with precision and care, ensuring that they are observed correctly. Choirs, bands, orchestras, consorts, and soloists all take a great deal of time to polish and refine every aspect of a performance before the program begins. 


Yet, even more important than fine-tuning is the actual tuning that must take place in each instrument. String players, perhaps more than any other group of musicians, spend a fair amount of time learning to tune their instruments because they are keenly aware of the ill effects of poor intonation. 


As a singer, I think of the concept of pre-phonatory tuning before each phrase. As I breathe, I make a quick mental note of the pitch I have to sing, the position of all the physical elements that contribute to efficient singing, and decide to trust them for a beautiful and meaningful vocal phrase. When I fail to do that, I run out of breath, out of tune, and out of steam.


Walking with God requires no less time, thought, energy, or preparation. We have to tune ourselves with the Lord before we can do anything worthwhile. We cannot presume to grow spiritually if we do not take the time to practice and consecrate ourselves on a regular basis. 


Joshua 1:8 says, 

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 

meditate on it day and night, 

so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. 

Then you will be prosperous and successful." 

So, when we allot time in our busy schedules to soak ourselves in God's Word and prayer, we are tuning ourselves to pour out God’s Word into the lives of others. When we meditate on God wherever we are (in bed, in the car, at the gas station, in the classroom, and everywhere else), we are tuning ourselves to wear God’s holiness. 


For some of us, it may mean that we have to go to bed early so we can get up early the next day to invest in a quality quiet time with the Lord. For others, it may mean that bedtime should be even later than usual because they are night owls and can focus best when everyone else is asleep. The point is we all need to take the time to adjust our lives and allow God in. 


Tuning involves a keen ear and a commitment to obey the pitch of the tuning fork. In other words, if we are to tune ourselves with the Lord, we have to listen to His Word and obey what it says. And what does the Word of God say? It says in Galatians 5:14, 

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: 

'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " 

So, the believer’s true pitch is love. When we love people with all we have, we are well in tune with the Lord and we are well in tune with each other. Our lives, then, are being played beautifully in God’s symphony.


When we fail to remain connected to God, we cannot possibly love our neighbors. When we fail to love our fellow man, we are basically not tuning ourselves for what lies ahead. The performance that God has scheduled for us is one of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Without His guidance and our obedience to Him, our performance will instead become hardheartedness, unkindness, arrogance, rudeness, and impatience. 


Sometimes, temptations come and we succumb because we are not spiritually fit to resist them. As a result, we complain instead of praising God. When it feels easier to gossip about or slander the name of someone, we need to choose to recognize the positive aspects of that person and express those things instead. When all we want to do is to be lazy, we need to press on and work hard. When people wrong us and we are intent of chastising them with the truth, we need to remember that unless we can share the truth in love we are but clashing cymbals – out of tune!


So, are we in tune today? Is the music that comes out of our lives one that is harmonious, filled with the love of Christ towards our fellow brothers and sisters? As we interact with those placed on our path, can we sing tunefully as part of the sublime unison in which the baton of Christ leads us?


Savior, those spiritual traits do not materialize overnight – they take tuning, preparation, and practice. Will you please empower us and tune our hearts to sing Your grace? Help us to love You with everything we have and open our hearts so we can love others wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Grace Notes

No sound is sweeter than the word grace. 


I have heard the familiar hymn, Amazing Grace, my entire life and still, my eyes well up with tears of joy every time I hear these precious words:

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me,

I once was lost, but now am found

Was blind, but now I see.”

The gift of grace – redemption, forgiveness, unmerited favor – is a sign of God’s unfathomable love for me. Yet, all too often, I neglect to find time in my busy schedule to slow down, take stock, and see how good and gracious my Lord is.

It is easy for me to accept the concept of grace as this huge blanket that covers the sin of the whole world. However, it is much more difficult to wade through the sea of my own bitterness and see how Christ extends grace to me for every sin I have ever committed. Although I knew that Christ forgave my sins, for a long time I hung on to specific past sins for which I could not forgive myself. They were these huge, ugly scars that spoiled the allure of the model Christian man I sought to convey.

It must be ingrained in human nature to notice bumps, blemishes, and blunders, and to seek to get rid of them as quickly as possible before anyone else notices. The trouble is, if one holds on to anything long enough, others will never fail to notice. It took me a long time to learn that human beings cannot clean up their messes on their own; it takes a true master to do it on our behalf.

At the master’s level in graduate school, I studied diligently to become a vocal pedagogue trained to diagnose any undue tension in the body in order to free up the vocal instrument. More generally as a musician, I have had to develop a keen ear to spot with speed and accuracy the flaws that mar the beauty of a melodic line, to eradicate the mistakes that disturb the flow of the music, and to eliminate the sounds that do not match the harmony or tonal color intended by the composer. In short, I strive to present to the listener the utmost best which the musical art can offer.

Interestingly enough, there is a musical device that is nothing short of a bump, a distraction to the seamless line desired in music. It is called a grace note. Grace notes are those smaller notes that, mathematically speaking, do not belong in the measure. Grace notes are, for lack of a better term, gaffes turned into graces or mistakes turned into miracles.

When I was first learning to play grace notes on the piano, my first thought was that they caused friction to the pure melodic line. I was a bit reluctant to use them at that stage. In my experience, that sentiment is echoed in most singers who try to avoid them as long as possible in the learning process. However, when executed with mastery, grace notes add incredible beauty and elegance to the most modest melody.

I cannot help drawing a spiritual connection here.

Many of us carry harbored hurts and, perhaps, unaddressed sins from the past. We are terrified at the thought that others may no longer like us if they find out. We may think our less than honorable past might disqualify us for any part God may want us to play in the advancement of His kingdom. We may even believe the lie that we are such damaged goods that it is better to stay hidden, out of the way. In other words, we tend to think of ourselves as wrong notes. However, that is not the way of grace. God is interested in turning our wrong notes into grace notes and our blunders into brand new opportunities for grace to flow freely.

As the story goes, God created humans in His likeness – pure, sinless, and perfect. At the first opportunity, Adam and Eve blew it. That is the major blunder of the human race. However, God devised a plan that turned our mistake into a grace note: God would land on this sin-sick world in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. 

It is an act of grace that the presence of Christ in the world for a mere 33-year span was enough to make a difference – turning death into life. He made a difference as a baby bridging the socio-economic divide by bringing together peasants, shepherds, and royals in a putrid stable – teaching us the joy of humility. He made a difference by attracting foreigners (three Magi from the East) to make an arduous trek to see Him and worship Him – making salvation available to all races and nations. 

As a 12 year-old, He made a difference as He sat in the company of the teachers of the Law while they marveled at His wisdom. He made a difference in the lives of the disciples who walked with Him as they witnessed the integrity of His life. He made a difference by healing the sick, raising the dead, helping the poor. He made a difference by spending time with the rejects and outcasts of society, showing them that there is a better way to live. He made a difference through the amazing surprise of grace expressed to the Samaritan woman. After their conversation she ran to town to fetch others saying, 

“Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. 

Could this be the Christ?” 

(John 4:29, NIV)

Because of the story of the immoral Samaritan woman, those of us who might have given up hope now have an escape. No matter how we try to cover them up, Christ knows all the details, flaws, and failures of our lives and still extends grace. He can break through the masks we wear to touch hearts, to expose sin, to heal pain, to quench the thirst of our souls, and to turn the ashes of our lives into fresh beauty.

Jesus is making a difference even now!

I am becoming more aware of His masterful hands weaving my failures into a beautiful tapestry that will draw others to the cross. The sins I have committed with my tongue – lies, gossip, slander, malice -- have been brought to my conscience. As I obey God's prompting to confess them, I am grateful to see how He is using my words to encourage others. Stealing God’s glory by seeking out and accepting human praise for the gifts He has entrusted to me is another huge area of temptation for me. Yet, each time I send all the praise to Christ, God reaches more people through my gifts.

My thoughts on grace have changed dramatically since I began pondering upon grace notes. As things surface, we may often miss the mark:

- The problem that we were convinced was solved may return in a bigger size. We thought our faith was strong enough to face it, but when it resurfaces, we may find that we are losing our center.

- The besetting sin that we thought was gone may be back to haunt us. I pray we will fall into God’s grace and come out victorious.
- In the privacy of our homes, we may often give in to that sin, throw a pity party, and even condemn ourselves. Perhaps, even then, those moments might turn into "grace note" opportunities, embellishments that could lead us to a more fulfilling spiritual connection with Christ. 

Holy Father, please take the failures, mistakes, and ashes of our lives, and turn them into beauty for the sake of the gospel and the glory of Your blessed name. Amen!

Melody

"Make sweet melody,

sing many songs

that thou mayest be remembered."

Isaiah 23:16b, KJV 

My two daughters recently developed a new habit – they sing and hum around the house . . . constantly. From room to room, game to game, toy to toy, their sweet little voices waft through the house, filling our home with their presence. “Where, oh where, have they picked up that habit? Is it possible that one of their parents might be a singer?” I could not help smiling contentedly as those thoughts went through my head.

My smile grew into bona fide laughter as my careful listening revealed a humorous element to their habit – both girls often string together snippets from the very vocal exercises and songs I practice into one long melody. Simple folk tunes morph into arias by Mozart. Lullabies turn into scales. Praise choruses and well-known spirituals become linked with art songs composed by Barber, Copland, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. Come what may, my girls just keep singing and humming their beautiful melody with all the different flavors found therein while I . . . just keep smiling.

Without knowing it, my girls have provided their doctorate-holding daddy with an important lesson on melody. Though I learned in college that a melody is merely the sounding of a series or succession of pitches, my concept of a good melody was peppered with personal bias and preconceived notions. I felt free to dissect, demean, and discard any series of pitches deemed unworthy based on my preferences. I had a clear penchant for traditional, time-tested, tonal harmony and rejected seemingly dissonant or mismatched pitches without flinching. Clearly, my girls had no such inhibitions and, consequently, were free to love, partake in, and enjoy endless possibilities of their melody.

The smile that was on my lips slowly faded as divine truth burrowed through my prideful heart. Silent tears lined my face as it dawned on me that life itself is a melody whose pitches are the people we encounter. Those folks are "pitches" that are either sharp, flat, natural, or borrowed from another key. They are notes of unequal length and different dynamic levels; and, therefore, they are prone to clash. However, the possibilities are endless when gratitude and openness mark our attitude in such encounters.

The open and non-discriminatory nature of melody-building exhibited by my girls is echoed in the writings of Paul, the apostle, in the book of Romans. He says, 

"Live in harmony with one another. 

Do not be proud, 

but be willing to associate with people of low position. 

Do not be conceited." 

Romans 12:16, NIV

The point of Paul's message to the Romans is love. He wrote it passionately with the intent of encouraging the believers of his time to live out their faith in a winsome manner that displays the gracious work of God’s Spirit and sparks a desire in non-believers for God’s truth.

Such an important message is no less timely today. Love is still the most important ingredient in the recipe of life. It is only through love that we can live in harmony with others. It is only the fire of love that can melt the iciness of our pride and take us to a place of humility. It is only the water of love that can wash away the conceit that blinds us from the truth of our own lowly position. It is only the glue of love that can bond two individuals as complementary partners to carry out this tuneful melody known as life.

The truth is, each person is a precious bow lovingly held by the Master Artist, the virtuoso of the universe, whose hands alone are capable of producing true music. As the Master Artist places His bow (each human being) on the strings (the people we encounter) of His cello (life as it is meant to be), He expects each one of us to be willing to go wherever, whenever, and however He leads. He is both the composer and performer and, therefore, intimately knows every contour, nuance, and cadence in the melody. So, we can rest securely because both the intention and direction of the Master’s bow are handled with utmost care and precision.

Since the Master determines the series of people with whom I interact on any given day, do I dare become annoyed when beggars come to me? Do I pretend not to notice the broken-hearted, the hungry, and the needy who seek to talk to me? Do I quickly find an escape route when I see the unpopular, the outcasts of society coming in my direction? Do I lose my temper when people oppose my views? Does my heart grow impatient when life’s hurdles block my path? Do I really love?

Perhaps, it is such a line of questioning that warrants the practical Pauline description of love in 1 Corinthians 13. Interestingly, Paul does not start his discourse with romantic love. He simply and boldly asserts that, without love, all the knowledge or eloquence we may possess is nothing but "a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1, NIV)

As a musician, I rejoice over Paul’s choice to appeal to music in seeking to define love. Of greatest interest to me is his choice of musical instruments to describe a mind full of knowledge and yet devoid of love. Choosing gongs and cymbals instead of strings or woodwinds has everything to do with their nature. Like most percussion instruments, gongs and cymbals are incapable of producing melodies because each sound emitted reverberates too much to allow for connection. They are guided by motion, not line. 

Perhaps, that is the issue at hand. When we simply go through the motions and do not take the time to connect and align ourselves with others, we miss the point of melody-building. As 1 Corinthians 8:1 states,

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” 

We need to go beyond the point of existing for our own pleasure – that leads to conceit and pride. Instead, we ought to seek to please the Master Artist as we connect with others to produce a joyful noise, a sweet and memorable melody that is worthy of His honor.

I am becoming increasingly more grateful that life exists. As long as we are alive, there is a beautiful and tuneful melody that God desires to play through each one of us. His agile hand is ready and the strings are waiting with baited breath. But are we, His bow, willing?

Dear Lord, may we be the willing bow of Your choosing to strike a tuneful melody on the lives of those we encounter today! In Christ, Amen.