What a year it’s been! I’m so thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve had this past year and it makes me feel very fortunate to look back on what I’ve been able to do. When we are caught up in the grind and just getting by day to day, it can be hard to remember how much we have accomplished. I encourage everyone to do a yearly reflection and give yourself some credit for your hard work too!
Below are just 5 (of many!!) highlights from this past year.
I performed at 26 wedding ceremonies.
I originally started the year with a limit of 24 weddings. After the whirlwind that was 2021, I felt that I needed to limit the amount of weddings I was doing for my own sanity and for the quality of my performances. I ended up adding on 2 more, but am proud of myself for sticking so close to the original number I gave myself! A lot of planning goes into each wedding, so limiting them ensures that I am consistently providing my best work.
I started the year with 15 students and ended it with 27.
This is especially crazy, because my goal was 20! I am finally at a point where I don’t need to rely on gigs to supplement my teaching income. The constant plugging myself and posting on wedding sites appear to be in my rearview mirror- and hopefully I can keep it that way!
I recorded an album!
Albeit small (only about 30 minutes of music), my string quartet worked very hard and hired a sound engineer (Chris Avison at McBride Studio) to record music for my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary. They have exclusive access to the full album, but you can listen to clips on my About Page.
I Completed Book 2 Training.
It seems so long ago that it wasn’t even part of this year, but in February of this year I completed my Book 2 training with Jenna Potts. It was a very thorough class and I learned so much about teaching and Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy. I’m really looking forward to continuing my education in the Suzuki Program!
I held my first studio recital!
Words cannot express just how much pride I felt when I watched my students, aged 5-adult perform songs that they had worked so hard to prepare. My heart was bursting to see even my most nervous students perform so well. Each student put in so much work and the reward was a beautiful performance.
I’m looking forward to using these experiences to help me grow in 2023!
The Boho-Chic style is known for its earthy tones, natural textures, eclectic combinations, and a Beauty-in-the-Natural-Chaos vibe. If I could use three words to describe this style, I’d take them right from the Beatles: “Let it Be”. With a style so easily detectable to the eye, you wouldn’t think it’d be so tough to nail down what the specific “sound” this style would have, but it’s actually pretty broad! When I sat down and really thought about it and started reading about this style and how it could relate to music, I found that I was drawn to songs with more of a walking-tempo, a simple melody, and an acoustic-feel rather than electronic or pop. The 5 songs I have listed below are what I think would be a lovely addition to your Boho-Chic wedding, all of which are on my repertoire list!
Love Someone – Lukas Graham
Perfect for some prelude music before the ceremony!
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
This would be a great song for parents, grandparents, and the wedding party to Process to.
Speechless – Dan + Say
I have done this for Bridal Processions and I think it’s just the perfect song for it!
Better Together – Jack Johnson
This classic would be the perfect song to recess to.
Traditional Weddings are classy, elegant, and a lot of couples’ dreams come true! I’ve done lists of unconventional music before, but here is a list of my favorite elegant, traditional music for a classic wedding.
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, by JS Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring is great, because it can be used for prelude music, processional music, recessional music, or even for a unity candle! This timeless melody flows effortlessly and is perfect for weddings because there are multiple places to stop without feeling abrupt. That means your quartet can cadence and end a song gracefully, regardless of when your party is finished processing down the aisle or whenever you’re done lighting your unity candle!
Wachet Auf, by JS Bach
Another classic, this piece has another versatile melody that will flow well wherever you place it! Its tempo is perfect for a relaxed march down the aisle, and the melody is simple enough to set the mood for a unity candle without distracting from what’s going on. Perfect for classy wedding ceremonies!
Trumpet Voluntary, by Jeremiah Clarke
No trumpet needed to play this iconic wedding piece! This march was composed for royalty, and who doesn’t want to feel like a prince or princess on their special day? This is a great processional piece that will have your wedding guests feeling like they’re attending a royal wedding.
Solomon: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba, by George Frideric Handel
This fun, upbeat piece is great for a recessional! Handel wrote this piece as part of his oratorio, Solomon. The Queen of Sheba had taken a long journey to arrive at Solomon’s Court. Triumphant and Joyous, this piece is the perfect song to signify that you, too, have arrived at the end of your long journey of engagement and will leave the ceremony newly married.
Canon in D Major, by Johann Pachelbel
I’d be crazy to leave this off the list! Pachelbel’s one hit wonder, Canon in D, has survived centuries because of its soothing, beautiful melody. This is truly the staple of a traditional wedding ceremony, and it will fit wherever you place it. Like Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, this is a great piece for processionals or unity candle lighting because there are many places where your quartet can cadence and end gracefully when music is no longer needed.
Jenna Michael, violin, Krista Archambault, violin, Jamie Listh, viola, Kevin Sweers, cello
What are your favorite wedding songs? Let me know in the comments below!
With just a few weeks left in December, I wanted to reflect on this past year. It was a big year for me – I left my day job as a receptionist to pursue my dream of being a full time musician. It’s proven to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, but it hasn’t come without hardships. Dealing with the medicaid office for one, was a horrible nightmare. Even though I had saved diligently to pay for a health insurance plan, I didn’t qualify for one because when I applied in March, I had no weddings, so almost no income was coming in. It was also a very difficult decision to explain to others. I left a job with decent pay and good benefits for something that in all honesty had a really big chance to fail. I’m very careful to stay humble because if I was in a different situation – if I didn’t have support from my family, if I had children to feed, etc. I wouldn’t have been able to take this leap of faith. But now I’m doing what I love – sharing my love of music with others, and I’m even getting paid to do it! I also reached another milestone this year – my husband and I got married! (Bye-bye Medicaid!)
Along with all of the changes I went through in 2021 came the busiest wedding season of a lot of vendors’ lives. We saw 2020 and 2021 brides getting married, all in one year. It was a little crazy!! Even though I’ve been playing for weddings for years, this was the first year that I was doing it to make a living. I learned a lot about myself and the business. Below are my top takeaways from the 2021 wedding season.
Check (and Double Check) the Details
As I said above, there were a lot of 2020 brides who needed to reschedule their wedding for this year. However, let’s not forget that 2021 started out just about as grim as 2020 was. It was still full of uncertainty and I had weddings in the spring that still were being postponed to later in the year. I found that even though I was sending out confirmations the week of the wedding, I wasn’t being specific enough with my confirmations. These brides who have had to move everything, sometimes multiple times, had too many details to keep everyone in the loop. Much like the stage crew, the musicians are often a bit of an after-though. We are meant to be in the background, so while it can be frustrating, I understand. However, before I learned to specifically write the start time of the ceremony in my confirmation emails instead of relying on the contract we had signed, I arrived at no less than 5 weddings hoursearly. A lot of time-frames got moved around without me knowing and I’m just thankful that none of them were moved to earlier in the day, which would have meant I would have missed the wedding entirely. Planning my own wedding this year certainly gave me a lot of empathy, so now I make a point to include every last detail of my performance in my confirmation emails.
I Need to Speak Up More
I let myself be pushed into a lot of corners to play this year. Trust me, I get it! Brides would rather not have a stranger on her violin in the wedding pictures. But the problem is, I can’t see if I’m in a corner, and I can’t read minds for when to start playing the bridal processional song. I rarely get a good cue for when to start the processional and each wedding is different. I definitely can’t see in a corner when everyone stands for the bridal procession. It’s really easy for me to get frustrated and think “how are you expecting me to know when to stop playing??” But honestly, you just don’t know what you don’t know. Like a lot of musicians, I have some anxiety when confronting people, but it was so worth it to get the courage up to say “I’m worried that I won’t be able to see if I’m sitting here.” I also found that when I was upfront about my needs, not many people had a problem with it.
I Should Limit My Performances
If you follow me on Facebook, I probably sound like a broken record, but it’s true. I signed up for way too much this year. The weird thing about wedding season is that during the week, my schedule isn’t go-go-go like my body is having me think it is. I love what I do but I still have a little bit of performance anxiety, and I’m an introverted musician! I need to gear myself up mentally to prepare for performing in front of hundreds of people and then being stopped by several guests to talk after the wedding and talking with the other vendors beforehand. Then, I need time to recharge. When I’m doing that every weekend, it becomes a difficult cycle of gear up, expend all my energy, recharge, repeat. If I only did weddings, then it would be difficult but manageable to do that every year. I don’t only do weddings though, I also teach violin lessons 4-5 days a week. This led to me spending my down time (which in all honesty was a lot more than I used to get at my old job!) playing video games, reading, or otherwise vegging out. I started feeling really insecure – how come I had all this time during the week to clean my house but I just couldn’t bring myself to? Why are there three loads of unfolded laundry sitting in baskets on the floor? I have time to exercise and meal prep, why am I still gaining weight? I made a mistake at that couple’s wedding, I can’t believe I would mess up like that! Why can’t I just be better at handling it all?
And so, I learned that even though I love performing and I’m experienced in doing it, I need to limit it, because it takes a lot of my energy.
I LOVE This Life and the Potential I have
Even though it does take a lot out of me, I love sharing music with others. I love watching couples tie the knot and learning snippets of their love story. I love the excitement I see in people’s faces when I play an intro to a song they really like. I love, love, love playing with my quartet and being in sync with my friends to make fun and beautiful music. I love that I have time to teach others how to play this instrument that has been through every major life event with me since I was a kid. I love that I have the opportunity to scale back on my performances when I realize that I need to. 2021 has taught me a lot of things and not all of them were easy lessons, but it’s shown me that I’m on the right path after many years of trying to fit myself in a mold that I just didn’t belong in. I’m so excited to see what 2022 brings!!!
Traditional Celtic music is a broad genre that evolved out of the folk traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While there is a lot of diversity in the genre, it’s often easily recognizable by its care-free lilt and whimsy. If you’re looking for a romantic, yet natural and whimsical atmosphere for your wedding, setting the mood with music is an absolute must! Here are my top picks for Celtic-Style Music for weddings!
August 19 by April Verch
April Verch is a Canadian Fiddler who wrote this song for her friends’ wedding. This song was literally written to be played at weddings!
Si Bheag, Si Mor
Michael Kelly explains the meaning of the title (and then some) translates to “So big, So little”. This song is particularly special to me because I walked down the aisle to it at my own wedding!
The Ashgrove
This lovely song is also the tune to a Christian hymn. Played by yours truly!
Give Me Your Hand
Being a little more lively and rustic-sounding, this song provides a great beat for you to either walk down the aisle to or use as a recessional song.
Danny Boy
This is perhaps one of the most iconic Irish Ballads. This gorgeous melody would fit anywhere in your ceremony as processional music, music for a unity ceremony, or even the recessional.
Honorable Mentions:
Ashokan Farewell
Red Red Rose
A River Boat’s Gone – Also by living composer April Verch
Some of us have had out weddings planned since we were children. Others of us… not so much! When it comes to picking music for your wedding ceremony, it can seem like a daunting task. You’ll remember what you walked down the aisle to for years to come, so the selection is important! Here are three tips for choosing songs for your wedding.
1.) Know Your Musicians
Are you going to have live music for your ceremony, or will your DJ be playing something? Whoever is playing the music for your ceremony is important to consider. If you have a solo instrumentalist, or even a duet, there are just some songs that aren’t going to translate well. If you’re hoping to have your favorite electronic, hip hop, or metal song played for your ceremony, it’s not going to sound the same on solo violin or a violin and cello duet. This is because there are a lot of things going on in those kinds of songs, and we won’t have a drum set or a backing track to play with. There are some melodies that I can work with and make really beautiful, but it will be different. If you are having a hard time picturing your song being played on the ensemble you hired for your wedding, I suggest looking up covers of the songs online. This will help you get an idea of what to expect. If you can’t find a cover played by your instrumentation online, it’s likely because, unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well. I would consider having your DJ play those songs if you are attached to them – then it will be exactly how you pictured it!
2.) Consider the Timing for the Processional
The trickiest thing to plan is the processional. The timing is pretty key here and you’ll need to take that into consideration when choosing songs. Be thinking of things like, how big is your wedding party, if you have one? Do you want a separate song for when your party walks and when you walk? How long is the aisle at your venue? These will all play a part in the timing for your wedding. For this reason, it’s a good idea to pick a song that is easy for your musicians to stop if they need to. My suggestion is to find a song with a repeated or repetitive melody in the chorus. A couple of great examples of this are Perfect by Ed Sheeran and A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. This makes it easy for your musicians to stop early if they need to or repeat a section if they need more time.
Some couples have different songs for the party and the bride, and some couples have one song for everyone to walk down to. That part is up to you! Just keep in mind that if you have live music, your musicians will likely need to reset after each song (meaning they will need to take their hands off their instruments to turn the page in their music!). If you have a different song for the mothers, one for the bridal party, one for the ring bearer, another for the flower girl, and finally one more song for the bride, it’s probably going to sound a little choppy.
If you are struggling to find a song, ask your musician what they reccomend! They will be able to provide you with a list of ideas.
3.) The Recessional Song(s) Should be Special
The songs you choose for the processional will likely not be played all the way through. However, the song for your recessional will be. If you have a song that you absolutely love, I highly suggest choosing that for the recessional rather than the processional! You’ll likely be too overwhelmed to hear the processional music anyway!
What do you think of these tips? I’d love to hear what songs you’ve chosen for your ceremony below!
I was fortunate to play for a wedding a few weeks ago for the first time since the Stay at Home order. The process was certainly different, but I was so happy for the product we were able to produce given the circumstances!
One of the women in my quartet has a compromised immune system, so our safety was one of my highest concerns. In order to stay safe, we did things a little differently, including rehearsing in her yard! It was a HOT July afternoon, but it ended up being really fun! We were able to sit spaced out so we wouldn’t need to wear masks. We didn’t have as much time to rehearse as we normally do, but the group really pulled together and we made it work just as well as we would have pre-covid.
The bride was SO sweet and amazing to work with right from the get-go, but I was still a little nervous for the wedding. I didn’t know how it was going to go. Would people be crowding us without masks on? Is the bride going to be okay with us wearing masks since we need to be sitting so close together? The wedding was outside, so what if it were to rain? Are my quartet members going to be comfortable? A lot of things right now are uncertain, and for someone who likes to know exactly what I’m getting into, that was a challenge for me as I prepared for the wedding. However, I was thrilled to find that I didn’t really have much to worry about! The venue was beautifully set up. We were originally staged on the lawn, but we moved to a covered area when it looked like rain. Luckily, for the ceremony and the whole cocktail hour, all that we had was a few raindrops. The guest list had been reduced to about 50 people, but the bride and groom looked so happy to be there and to have made everything work despite all the hurdles thrown in their way.
I think the most surprising thing for me was how happy it made me to play with others again. As an introvert I don’t really notice that I’m missing those social interactions until I have them again. It was 90 degrees and we were all wearing dress blacks with masks, but it was SO worth it, and I was so happy that we didn’t have to sacrifice our safety to do it! It was so fun to play with everyone again, and I can’t wait until my next gig!!!
