My "baby" brother (now in his 30's) used to get so annoyed at my singing around the house. There he'd be, minding his own business, playing Madden on his Sega Genesis (dating myself!!!), and then suddenly out of nowhere, I'd come bellowing out of my room singing some huge opera aria just as loudly and dramatically as I could. It drove him NUTS!! He used to say in total agony, "MUST YOU SING!?!??!" Of course I'd look at him out the corner of my eye and grin with that little mischievous smile that so many kids have when they just know they were up to no good. 😏
Well, the truth is, yes--I must sing. I had to then, and I still have to until this day. "HAVE" to!?!? Yes. Have to. Have to, and wantto...forever.
When I was growing up in the public housing system of San Francisco, CA, there was nothing outside of our apartment that you could call inviting. We were in a poor neighborhood, steeped in drug addiction, all sorts of crime, violence and despair. Most families that lived on our housing complex did the best they could with what they had. While many of them were elderly, a good number of them were families of a decent size, all the way up to ten in one apartment. That would have been us, the Buchanan's.
I'm the seventh of nine children. My parents are both from Kansas. My father having also spent some of his childhood in Arkansas and Missouri, they were both mid-westerners with no grid at all for big-city life. A long story more suitable for another time would reveal that eventually, after five children, the seven of them up and moved to San Francisco in 1972, starting a new life in an urban area that was not only unfamiliar to them, but in some ways downright scary. But, they lived there for many years and I came on the scene in 19...eh-ehmm... Never mind those details. But, from the time I was three months old until I was 23 we lived in those housing projects. And in all the darkness and trouble that the neighborhood brought, I was given one gift from above that would change my course: a voice.
Singing has always been to me something to be associated with God. Through singing and studying music starting as early as 9 years old, I was (from my perspective now that I'm older) rescued from a dead-end journey to nowhere and exposed to some of the most incredible talent you can find worldwide, hands-down. All because God gave me a voice. Singing songs and engaging in competitions and taking classes and learning instruments and learning how to conduct an orchestra at age 11--all these things pulled me out of the destitute surroundings I lived in and exposed me...well it exposed me to the world. There I was, only 14 years old, singing in Italian, Latin, French, German; later adding Ukrainian, Russian, Hebrew and Spanish. No one in my neighborhood was doing this; I can safely say this, knowing that my involvement in this kind of music sort of made me....a little peculiar to the other kids, to say the least. :)
I still remember being nine years old, singing in the church choir of about forty elderly men and women whose repertoire consisted of age-old Negro Spirituals and baroque-like oratorios. Why? Because my voice was too big for the children's choir, and none of the teenagers wanted me in their youth choir belting out opera tones when they're trying to rock, clap and shout to the latest Gospel tunes of the day. So, there I was sandwiched between more silver-, blue-, and purple-gray hair than you can dream of, occasionally being slipped a peppermint candy by one of the grandmas who felt sorry for me falling asleep at our late Tuesday-night rehearsals. The voice I had was unique and it opened some doors, while closing others.
All of this had meaning, though. There was a reason for my experiencing such things. Firstly, I realize that it kept me from the nearly inevitable fall into the dangerous and hopeless street life that plagued so many young people in my neighborhood. Secondly and most importantly to me, God made me a shining light for many people who were incredibly wealthy, and therefore practically altogether unreached. I opened my mouth to sing, and the tears would flow. Nothing I was doing; God was singing through me, loving on folks, and those precious people who needed the love of God just as much as anyone else, got to feel His presence in a way that deeply moved them. I clearly remember how in some cases what they felt reminded them of their upbringing in the Church--leaving them with an unshakable sense that they needed to somehow connect with their spiritual heritage again. This is priceless stuff right here.
So, to answer baby brother's question, YES! I MUST SING! And the reason for Songbird Music LLC's existence is not to somehow pump up my own ego or magnify my own ability; heavens no. Since its inception in 2003, while I still lived in California, I was looking for singers who felt they had a personal responsibility to preserve, protect and enhance their instruments for the longterm--never damaging it, always learning to work with it and keep it healthy for decades ahead. I'm still on that journey; I feel there are so many out there who love what God gave them, but need help keeping it.
My homepage has Psalm 104:33 in its header, which reads: "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." I want this to be the hallmark for every student of mine: that they sing to the glory of God, and they do it well....forever.
-Sharine Buchanan
Owner, Songbird Music LLC
Sharine Buchanan is the Owner of Songbird Music LLC. She earned her Bachelor's of Arts degree in Music with High Honors from the University of California at Berkeley, and her Masters of Music degree with an emphasis in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (valedictorian). She lives in North Carolina's Wilkes County, the foothill of the Brushy Mountains, where she relocated in 2013 to join an international ministry, faithfully serving her pastors in music and various aspects of their ministry.
To inquire about studying voice with Sharine, email her at [email protected], or call 510-220-4077.
Check it Out! “O Del Mio Dolce Ardor” by Gluck
https://youtu.be/CSb0E_X6DA4
