Catelyn's Music Adventures

My Mema has been my best friend since I can remember and has always been my biggest fan. She's the reason I'm where I am today. If it weren't for her, I would've never become a musician, so I knew I had to do this interview with her.  How would you define music? "Hmmm... It's a way to express yourself. I mean, it's something that we can all connect to without having to say a word." What does music mean to you? "Oh I love it. It's something that can brighten my day when I'm down. When I go to church and hear the music, it just brightens my mood and makes me feel so thankful and full of joy. Or I can just sit down and play the piano (even though I don't play well), it's something I can sit down and do to make me feel happy." How long have you played piano, and how did you learn? "My mama taught me when I was really little, and then she put me and my brother Bill in lessons when I was real little, maybe about 1st grade. I to...

My freshman year of college, I started clarinet lessons and I was definitely in the process of learning how to practice, what to practice, and everything that came along with it. Let's just say that I was a newbie to the metronome and could barely get through an etude. Well, my clarinet teacher decided to assign me my first piece of solo work over Christmas break, and the Weber Concertino was what he chose. I was so determined that I was going to come back in January ready to play through this entire piece. I practiced and practiced, I listened to recordings maybe a thousand times. I LOVED it. Sure enough, I came back to school and played through the entire solo for him. I hold so many dear memories to this concertino. Not only was it the first solo I learned on clarinet, but it's the first piece I ever performed, and it's the solo that molded me into where I am today. I just love this piece, and it makes me so happy and think of all the bittersweet memories attached to it....

 Hey y'all! My name is Catelyn Caughman, and I'm a junior Music Education major here at Converse.  I have always loved music since I was little, but didn't really pursue it until I got to college. My grandma taught me a little bit of piano when I was in elementary school, but I mainly just played things by ear because it was easier for me. By the time middle school rolled around, I really wanted to join band, so my grandma pulled my mom's old clarinet out of the attic and let me have it. I played in middle school band for two years, but the program I was in wasn't the best, so I got bored and put down the clarinet for four years :( For whatever reason, I decided to play in the band my senior year of high school, really loved it, and wanted to continue playing in band when I went to college. I became a Music Education major last minute because I didn't have a better idea at the time. After having my first clarinet lesson, my teacher pushed me to be the best I cou...