Meet Bevani!

Most of us are fans of someone or something. We have our favorites!  Certain types of people and things appeal to us. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And you are familiar with that fan mode feeling, right? The excitement, the joy, the inspiration they bring to us. It is sometimes overwhelming!

For those of you who have followed me, you know that I have started playing the flute again. Some twenty plus years ago, I had my summer lesson playing the flute. And after sometime, I just stopped. Now I am wondering  I could have been a very good musician now if I kept playing. But it’s okay. We all know that we can not go back to the past. All I have is NOW. I am just glad that I got back to playing 3 months ago. I just do self-study.  So far, I am enjoying it. I even put up a Youtube Channel (thehomemaker’smusic) just to compile my videos and to watch for improvements. My goal is to get better, enjoy the music and bring smiles to  my friends and family. And hopefully to other people too.

Going back to my previous thoughts, what would you feel if your “idol”, the person you’re considering as your role model/good example followed you back on Instagram? It was so funny when one night, I suddenly leaped and screamed for joy.  My favorite flutist just followed me back on Instagram (khris_79))!!! My husband and son were smiling and were very happy for me.  “Bevani followed me and she liked my video!”

 

There are so many great flutists around the globe. Amazing players I look up to. But something in Bevani I really liked. When I see her, I think of these words: Talented, Relevant, Vibrant, Confident, Expression, Emotions.

I am so proud and happy that I was able to get in touch with her and ask her questions. She was very gracious to respond. Below were the questions I asked and her responses (verbatim).

1. When did you first hold a flute? How old were you?

I was 7 years old.

2. Why flute?

My mom loved the sound of flute and thought it would be a good fit for me – she was right. I had a very good tone right from the start.

3. What or who influenced you to play the flute?

Like I said, my mom started me on the flute but my flute teacher kept me going. She was creative and patient and really encouraged me to continue to practice. I’ll admit there were lots of times I wanted to quit but she kept me on track in a kind way.

4.  Can you please briefly share your music education background?

I studied with Heidi Ehle fro 7-18 years old. During this time I participated in the local competitions. I began teaching flute lessons at 16 years old, which helped me walk my talk. I encouraged all my students to practice more which in turn helped me practice more. I joined the Seattle Youth Orchestra when I was a Sr. in High School and won the concerto competition within the orchestra. I performed this solo in Benaroya hall which had a big impact on me and gave me confidence to continue flute in college. I studied flute at University of Puget Sound with Karla Flygare 2004-2008. Then went to University of Santa Barbara California from 2008-2010. During these years of college study I participated in lots of master classes studying with famous flutist from around the world and competed in local competitions. I won the concerto competition at UPS and UCSB.

4. How many hours a day do you practice?

This has changed over the years – in college 2-3 almost every day. Now 1-2 almost every day but sometimes I take a week off.

5. Favorite piece/song you play 

Too many and I think it changes all the time. Sometime a good pop song is so enjoyable and sometime I need some French flute music or classical songs to keep my fingers and chops really engaged.

6. How do you see yourself in 5 years in terms of music?

A few more albums – hopefully another electronic original. I’ve always wanted to put Mozart with electronic beats, lots more music videos, teaching online lessons, performing at schools and inspiring kids. A tour in the U.S and Europe!

7. Advice on people like me who are aspiring to be good musicians.

Keep practicing – it takes time. Make clear goals. Track your improvement by recording yourself and practicing with a metronome. Find musicians that inspire you. Find a teacher you like. Play with other musicians. Learn from the numerous resources online and remember there are lots of way to be a musician. There is not one route so see if you can kind find ways to play music that inspires you.

You can visit her sites:

http://www.bevani.com/

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/bevaniflute.

Facebook and Instagram: bevaniflute

Sharing with you my favorite video:

Mother’s Day 2016

Pretty hands have grown old through the years

Doing all kinds of chores and caring for me

Those wrinkly eyes still have their glow

Always watching over me.

Now that I have grown

Got a family of my own

Something will forever be the same

Her heart wishing me all the best

Her heart full of love for me

~ Tin Lazaro

Carmen is her name.  From Latin origin, it means “song,” “tune,” or “poem” and is also the root of the English word charm. Truly, she is music. It has always been her first love. And I thank her for bringing music into our lives. From then until now, she has always been so generous to me and my siblings. Whenever she would get home, she has little things for us. More importantly, she always gives us the emotional support we need. She rescues us and lifts us up when we are troubled.. She has always been so selfless putting our happiness and welfare before hers. She is our guide, our light.

Evelyn is her name. She raised me too. She was a great influence in giving us the best education we can ever have. I remember her enrolling us in schools, taking us to music classes (voice and flute) and even taking us to our facial care sessions in high school. She has also influenced me in terms of religious/church affiliation… A woman does not have to bear the child to become a mother. You can raise children and be a mother too. It does not have to be biological. It is all about the love and care through the years.

I have aunties/Tita/Tia (both blood related and not) who I look up to as Moms. They are the women who inspire me, who support me and care for me through the different chapters in my life as a wife and mother.

I also remember my mother-in-law, Araceli,  who gave life to my better half, the reason I have become a mother too.  I remember my sisters and girl friends who are mothers as well.  I think about all the mothers around who have dedicated their lives to raising children. Raising kids is a complex and yet beautiful mission. It goes beyond providing material/physical needs. There is emotional, intellectual, and spiritual responsibilities. It is a mission for life.

No mother is perfect. Not even me. We just keep doing our best to give our children a good life, a solid foundation that will guide them even when we will no longer be around. We keep doing our best in giving them happy memories.

Play with them, read to them, converse with them. We keep praying for them.

This song I played is dedicated to all the Mommies in the world. It is entitled “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan, ” a Filipino lullaby co-written by Lucio San Pedro and Levi Celerio, who were both National Artists of the Philippines.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa_Ugoy_ng_Duyan

“The lyrics are written in the first person point of view. It is made up of two stanzas, with four lines each.

In the first stanza, the singer wishes that his childhood and his memories of his mother will never fade. He also wants to hear his mother’s song again, which to him is a song of love.

In the second stanza, he describes his sleep as being peaceful, while stars watch and guard him. For him, his life becomes heaven whenever his mother sings him her lullaby. Finally, he reveals the reason for his longing: he is enduring some hardship, and this is why he was longing for his mother’s lullaby.

In the final line (coda), the singer addresses his mother and wishes that he could sleep again in his old cradle.”

Share the Love : )

This week is the third month I have been reunited with my baby flute after more than 15 years! And it has been a pleasure playing it for these past months. I will be forever thankful to that one summer lesson when I was 15 or 16. So it has been 2 decades ago.

At present, I have been doing self-study. I do not know if I will still have the time to go on formal classes.

Playing has helped me heal in my grieving process. Music has power.

So sharing with you my imperfect version of The Prayer. God bless you all!!!

I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know
Let this be our prayer
when we lose our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe.

Somewhere Flute Cover

Someday, somewhere
We’ll find a new way of living
Will find a way of forgiving
Somewhere…
There’s a place for us
Somewhere a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere
There’s a time for us
Someday there’ll time for us
Time together and time to spare
Time to learn, time to care
Someday, somewhere
We’ll find a new way of living
Will find there’s a way of forgiving
Somewhere…
There’s a place for us
A time and place for us
Hold my hand and we’re half way there
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow…
Someday, somewhere…

Something Fute Cover

An amateur player is sharing with you this song by the Beatles. Hope your days are bright and happy!!!

 

 SOMETHING by George Harrison (The Beatles)

Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me
I don’t want to leave her now
You know I believe and how

Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don’t need no other lover
Something in her style that shows me
I don’t want to leave her now
You know I believe and how

You’re asking me will my love grow
I don’t know, I don’t know
You stick around and it may show
I don’t know, I don’t know

Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her
Something in the things she shows me
I don’t want to leave her now
You know I believe and how

Thank You For The Music

Through blogging, I have come to know myself better. And I am continuously learning about a lot of things in the world, about being human. About living.

Part of this learning is finding my passion. The ultimate role or mission I have at the moment is being a family woman. Being there for the children, for the husband, and caring for the house, for the home. I say 90% of what I do is for those mentioned. And the remaining is for myself. I discovered my passion for blogging and playing music. These two for some reasons bring joy to me. I feel I can do these things for hours without getting bored (unlike when I run on the treadmill for 20 minutes).

I talked about my flute in my past post (Playing Music) sometime in January 2016. For almost two months now, I have done something for myself. I have done it by self-study. Practiced playing the instrument during spare time from the mommy duties. So here, I would like to share with you some songs.

I usually share some clips on my Instagram account (khris_79). Some of you who are my IG buddies know that : ) Hope your day will be filled with music.

 

 

 

 

Music and the Treadmill

An hour quickly passes by with online shopping, blogging, or doing chores at home. It happens in the blink of an eye. On the other hand, one mile of running on the treadmill feels like ages to me! This simply shows how lazy I am!

One mile a day is nothing for some people but for me it is a lot of work already. Running for 18 minutes is boring. I recently tried playing music while I run. And it actually helps a lot! I searched for upbeat running music in You Tube and I found many options. At one time, I ran with Worship/Praise songs. Earlier I used classical music.

 

It was not that bad at all. Hopefully I will learn to like this exercising.

For my own good : )

Playing Music

Music was a great part of my life. It was all our mother’s influence. While I was growing up, we heard her sing all the time, and we found ourselves listening to her recorded cassettes. All her life she has been singing in church choirs even when she moved here in California. In fact, she just joined this band and she is very excited about it.

My siblings and I got involved. Singing became a part of our childhood. Whenever there were family occasions, our father would make us sing. Sometimes we felt silly about it. We had to perform. Now I understand that it was just his pride and joy. He even sent us to a voice lesson class one Summer.

At home, our mother was our instructor, our teacher.  She would make us practice regularly. She would make us sing the same song until we perfect it. My first performance was when I was 8 years old in a school program. I still remember I sang “The Greatest Love Of All” by Whitney Houston. Among us, my brother has always been the performer.  He almost made it in this reality show (singing contest) in the Philippines. But he declined before the contract signing since it was in conflict with his law schooling.

Likewise, my sister was active in Glee Club in high school and I in the school choir. We were singing too in our parish and were into composing songs too. But music was just a hobby. And we did not really pursue because of other things. When I started my life here, I rarely sing anymore and never played music.

It was World Youth Day 1995. I was part of the choir that sang in the mass presided by Pope John Paul II. I was inspired by the music. I wanted to play the flute. My father bought me one and sent me to flute classes. I had it when I was 15. I was an amateur.  I started to play in church where my mother was a soloist in the 6am mass. To cut the story short, after 6 or 7 years, I needed money so I sold my beloved flute!!!! I do not even remember why.  And recently I have been thinking about it and how my father did not find out that I sold it.  Now I am sure he knows from heaven!

So I am very thrilled now. My new baby has come. I will begin again and enjoy the music.

 

 

 

I Believe

This song just came to me this morning. I do not know what made me remember. This is one of the songs my siblings and I used to sing when we were little. My father would perk up to hear us sing this.

I thought it is good to just share it out here. Maybe it will inspire someone who visits this site. And at least I will do something good.

Each of us go through something. And sometimes there are just no more words to say. Just keep the faith.

I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows.

I believe that somewhere in the darkest night, a candle glows.

I believe for everyone who goes astray, someone will come to show the way.

I believe, I believe.

I believe above the storm the smallest prayer will still be heard.

I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word.

 

Every time I hear a newborn baby cry, or touch a leaf or see the sky,

Then I know why I believe!

https://youtu.be/46UX8gpqXIo

photo credits:

letterstohenry.wordpress.com

news.stanford.edu

radiomaria.us

newsl.org

Afternoon Music For You

I love any kind of music.  It touches my soul. It is like painting. It transports you into a different world.

When I was in college (around 19 years ago)  I fell in love with this music.  I can still hear it in my head. I guess, I can never be tired listening to this. It will always be considered as one of my all time favorites. It is so beautiful, I guess a little bit sad. I feel so much love and longing. It can always make me cry.

It is from the movie, Love Affair, a romantic drama film from 1994. It starred Warren Beatty and Annette Benning. The music I fell in love with was composed by Ennio Morricone.

Sharing it with you. I hope you like it. Tell me what you think : )