Fifteen years. Fifteen years filled with countless hours of practice and discipline, finding bits and pieces of herself along the way. I sat speechless as she played through each song with such elegance and power. As music filled the room, my eyes filled to the brim with tears, amazed at the beautiful woman my sister has become.
At four years old, my sister, began a beautiful journey that has led her to where she is today. Music has become this haven of safety. A place where she can come and pour her heart out into some of the most moving and beautiful pieces I have ever heard. Carley is now a sophomore in college and has wonderful dreams and aspirations for her future. “I want to use my music to help someone.”
She continued on to tell me about the different stories of all the composers she has played for. I found in her words that there is something about music that seems to heal each and every person’s soul. It allows people to tell beautiful and equally hard stories of their journeys without ever having to use words. Just simply music. We see it in past composers and we see it in students and composers of today. “For example,” says Carley, “Beethoven's music is very dark and twisty because he lived a very dark childhood. With every composer, as you play their music, their stories come to life. You can tell what their life was like or different things they faced along the way. You can look back and think, ‘Oh, he wrote this when he was nine and was being forced to play so he could make money for his family.’ It puts the music into perspective and gives us a glimpse into what was their reality.”
Throughout the years Carley has had the opportunity to learn and play many songs. Each one holding purpose and meaning in her life from the different stages she was in at the time. Last year, at her spring recital, she got to play a song that would, to this day, hold a special place in her heart. Our dad performed The Ocean by Christiani when he was in high school. From the time Carley began playing our grandma would take her back to look at the music in hopes that one day she would be playing this same exact piece. “I remember it always looking so hard and thinking I would never be able to play it.” says Carley. Our grandma continued to encourage her throughout high school but Carley always felt like she wasn’t quite ready. When she enrolled at East Central University this piece, that has been her grandmothers dream for years to hear her play, was passed on to her piano teacher. Carley's teacher took her step by step through the piece and stood by her side as she began to learn what at once seemed impossible. The whole time she was learning the piece she kept it a secret from our dad and grandma until the day she would perform it in front of many. “They got the paper and saw that I was playing The Ocean and my grandma almost started crying.”
Carley dreams of opening her own studio to teach children to love something that has always been there for her. Music. When asked what advice she would those just getting started she said, “My first piece of advice would be to practice. Also, go to lessons even if you didn't practice as much one week. There's so much wisdom and help your teachers can give you that you don't want to miss out on. My last piece of advice would be, everything is hard before it is easy. You can get where you want to go with enough motivation and practice.”
