Maria joins host Daniel Keinanen, to share how music can play a key role in connecting with people.
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TRANSCRIPT
INTRO
This is the BeLED Family Podcast.
MARIA
That's what really we want in life is to connect with others and in a meaningful way. And music allows you to do that.
DANIEL
Welcome to the BeLED Family Podcast BeLight: Who are you in Jesus? BeEntrusted: What does Jesus call us to do? and BeDisciples: Who does Jesus call us to live in community with? On this episode, I'd like to welcome my sister Maria. Yes, that's right, my sister. We grew up in the same house together, and if we can have a podcast about the stories we can share with each other, we never got on each other's nerves. Absolutely. We just got along just splendidly. The laughter says it all I'm sure there. Maria has a rich history of music in her life. And she not only will talk about that, but also how music can be used as a way to minister to yourself, to your family, and to those around you. Welcome to the podcast, Maria.
MARIA
Thank you, Daniel.
DANIEL
How are you?
MARIA
I'm doing great. I'm so happy to be doing this with you, brother.
DANIEL
That's great, sister. I feel like, you know, our goal is to make our audience kind of feel that brotherly-sisterly love and tension, all that. All the above. Maria has shared that her goal with music is, encouraging people to incorporate more music into their lives. And I know that you're going to talk about this, but you said that you want to incorporate music into your relationship with the Lord, your relationship with family and relationship with community, which just aligns so well with what we want to do with BeLED and the things that we want to accomplish that way. Maria, would you start by telling us where your love for music started and how it developed?
MARIA
Yes, music. Well, I have loved music for as long as I can remember. I think my earliest memories with music are with our grandpa singing hymns together.
DANIEL
Yeah.
MARIA
He loved singing and we would sing hymns, several hymns before we'd have our devotional time and singing in Sunday school, even as a little like before you came along, when I was preschool age in the Esko Church, we sang Sunday school songs that are still with me now.
MARIA
And it was in those early childhood days that my love for music began and the seeds were planted for that.
DANIEL
I mean, to your point, that time with Grandpa at Grandpa and Grandma's house,
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
I remember singing hymns more than I do the devotions that we did.
MARIA
Yes. Absolutely. That was my favorite part.
DANIEL
Do you…were there any hymns that we sung that were some of your favorites?
MARIA
I liked “When the Roll is called Up Yonder,” because grandpa would always call out our names then.
DANIEL
Would he?
MARIA
Say, “Here!” Don't you remember that?
DANIEL
No, I was, I mean, I was too young at the…I mean, I just remember going up on the red, shaggy carpeted stairs.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
Pretending to play the piano and the organ.
MARIA
That worked out great.
DANIEL
So I didn't really. I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to what was being sung.
MARIA
Yeah. And just having the hymnals and following the notes.
DANIEL
Yeah.
MARIA
Was was great. That was the the start of my music education.
DANIEL
So where did that start that grew that passion that love for music at that point? You know, singing at Sunday school, the Esko church, singing with grandpa and grandma, and I know grandpa would take us to the nursing home.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
Was it both Tuesdays and Thursday nights we'd go there?
MARIA
I think it was Tuesdays.
DANIEL
Was it just Tuesdays?
MARIA
That’s what I remember.
DANIEL
Remember, we would go there faithfully every week. He'd come pick us up or whatever. And where did that take you next? That love that started there. Where did it continue to grow?
MARIA
Well, we had a new song, you know, that Dean Franz started, Friends of Our Family. He wanted to get together with his friends to make music and travel, and he allowed us kids to be involved with that. And so that was a big part of our childhood. And him allowing us to get up in front of people in concerts and sing from a young age was… It just was normal to do that.
DANIEL
Do you think he, just thinking back to that time, it seemed like he did a good job stretching you, pulling you out, challenging you, is that correct?
MARIA
Yes. And always encouraging right along with that.
DANIEL
And what were some of those challenges? What were some of those encouragements that he brought?
MARIA
Well, with my keyboard skills, I was nervous about it. I felt more comfortable singing. But he really encouraged me, taught me about chords, showed me the chords to play and encouraged me that, yes, I could do it, and it was huge.
DANIEL
Do you remember the whole story we did because you said chords, but also the keyboard we had was called a Korg.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
And we had this whole thing during our concerts where he said, “and then we picked up the Korg,” and you had to play sound effects. Do you remember that?
MARIA
I forgot about that.
DANIEL
I wonder if he's got that on video. That would be fantastic if he does. Dean, if you're listening and you've got that somewhere, I would love to hear that or see that again. So you're being challenged. You're being equipped in your love for music. Again, as you moved into high school, how did that continue to develop?
MARIA
Music saved me in high school. That became my home: the choir room, the theater. That gave me my place. Helped me during that time just to figure out who I was. And just the encouragement that I got from my teachers and the bonds that I made with friends participating in music together was, I'm so thankful for that.
DANIEL
Did you realize that at the time, how much it was helping you?
MARIA
Well, I think definitely looking back, I appreciate it more now.
DANIEL
Sure.
MARIA
But I was thankful for the opportunity to be in plays and musicals. It just helped me to make friends, and the music and theater community is always very accepting of people of all kinds. I thrived there in that environment.
DANIEL
As a little brother. Absolutely. It was evident how much you thrived there. And then you moved on to college. You pursued music, and then up in Nashville, pursuing music. And then that led to a different opportunity after you graduated college. Would you talk about that?
MARIA
About joining the Navy?
DANIEL
Yes, never thought you’d join the Navy, did you?
MARIA
No. Well, I was fixing to graduate and I didn't really have any job opportunities, but saw a flier on the bulletin board. I noticed the salary and the benefits. I didn't really notice that it was active duty military, but I thought, “That sounds good to sing in a choir and get paid,” and, yeah, took a plane there to D.C. and auditioned with Valley High and got the job.
DANIEL
Working for the US Navy Sea Chanters.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
You've had quite an experience. You had quite the career there, didn't you? You got to see and be in a lot of special places.
MARIA
Yes. And again, in my 20s, I didn't totally appreciate it at the time. I look back and I, wow, so thankful for those experiences,
DANIEL
Right? I mean, that's another episode of a podcast, is all the stories.
MARIA
Yeah.
DANIEL
Just from all the time, that I know only a handful of your stories, but some of my favorites are that you turned off the Christmas lights at the White House. It's one of my favorites.
MARIA
Yes. By accident. That was an accident.
DANIEL
It was an accident. But it was all for a good cause. And that's, you know, if you want to know that, that's for another time, another place. But what an honor that was and how God brought you to that point. Now, I also know, and maybe I'm leading you with this question, but being a part of the US Sea Chanters, obviously they had a season in your life, but it led to a bigger part of your life. You met your husband because of that, right? Would you just take a brief moment how that happened?
MARIA
Yes. Well, I was singing. God is so good. Spots for the Sea Chanters don't open up very often because people tend to stay in that job because it's a wonderful job. And so there were quite a few older people in the Sea Chanters at the time, one of which was John Berry, who was a Christian man, godly man, who had several children.
MARIA
And introduced me to his brother-in-law, Danny. And that was a long story.
DANIEL
Versus, the rest is…you know, five children later, one grandchild later. Here you are at this point with Danny and obviously, God used that time with the Sea Chanters to be absolutely influential, for you in your life in the future that God has had you on. So speaking of influential, go a little deeper into how music has been influential in your life.
MARIA
Yes, music in my relationship with the Lord is key. Being able to sing from my heart, worship, worship songs, you know, writing my own songs from my heart to the Lord. Using music as a tool to memorize scripture has been huge. As a parent, it's been my key tool in connecting with my kids and with my husband and making friends, finding community, a sense of community in my life outside of my family, music has been huge.
DANIEL
Would you say, I mean, it sounds like it's a common denominator for a lot of things in your life.
MARIA
Yes, absolutely.
DANIEL
Now, you have said that, you said that, “Music has been a weapon I have used against depression and anxiety.” It has also helped you to memorize scripture. Would you be willing to talk about that?
MARIA
Life is difficult. We go through seasons of anxiety, of loss. And being able to utilize music, which for me is the expression of my soul much more than words as you can probably tell, I'm not great at talking, but if I can sing, if I can play the piano, I feel like I can let out whatever is inside of me. And it's not always great. It's not always joyful songs of praise. Sometimes it's lamenting. Sometimes it's just crying out to the Lord. And I can express that through music. And also just, you know, that there are many hymns that express those very real emotions that we have. We don't always have the words ourselves, but you know hymn writers have come up with them and so, yeah.
DANIEL
Do you have, you know, in those times when you needed to express yourself and get it out, did you have a preference? Did you like to just sit at the keyboard of a piano and just start going and just start doing that? Did you like to listen to worship music and put on some favorite artists? Things like that, or did you like to just take a walk and in your mind sing or go through hymn lyrics or maybe all of the above. Was there one that you preferred?
MARIA
Yeah, all of the above. I'd say.
DANIEL
I'm curious. Like when you would sit down at the piano, as I don't play piano and I'm not as gifted in music as you are, but what is it for you as a musician, just let your fingers do the talking? Do you have in your mind where you want to go with music? It's just a question I've wondered for people like you.
MARIA
Yeah, that's another podcast too.
DANIEL
Yeah.
MARIA
And definitely that's where music education is handy. Just to give you a little bit more of those tools like, “here's four chords you can use. Here's one for it. Here's your four. Here's your five.” You know, experiment with those. I mean, you as a musician know what I'm talking about. If you have no, if you haven't had the benefit of lessons, and you're just sitting at the piano still, you know, it's amazing. I've seen kids be able to express themselves at the keyboard just with the sound of the notes, even if they don't know exactly what they're playing.
DANIEL
I mean, it's similar to an artist sitting down with paintbrushes.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
It's similar to, you know, my children into robotics. Almost, you know, mechanically engineer like your husband, a mechanical engineer. Just create something out of nothing, you know. Your son told me once he created, “I built a remote control airplane.” I was like, “Oh, how did you do that?”
DANIEL
“Used some motors, and then I just dug in the garbage to find some parts for things.” I'm like, “Oh, okay.” And he did. He literally had pieces of garbage,
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
that he made this plane. Just creating whatever's in front of you.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
And that has been really key for you. Now, you've also said that music has been a key tool for you in your parenting. I'm guessing it looks similar to what we just talked about, but would you talk about how music has been key for you in parenting?
MARIA
Well, from day one, from the time that I gave birth to our first child, I relied heavily on music to, you know, singing lullabies to soothe them, dancing around with recordings, dancing with them. Babies love music. They love hearing the sound of their mother's voice. It just gave us something to do together and something, you know, parenting is humbling and nothing brings out your weaknesses more than parenting. But music was something that I felt. One thing that I could give to my kids and help them in their own relationship with the Lord.
DANIEL
And it seemed like that created a bond.
MARIA
That's what music does. Music creates bonds because it comes from the heart.
DANIEL
Yeah. It's clear that you're passionate, you know, about music.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
But you're also passionate about teaching others music. You know, I know that you're actively teaching piano and voice. You've been part of our local community theater productions. You know, you have sung on our church praise team. You've led our homeschool choir. And that's just a few of the things that you have done. For you, why is it important to be a part of these things? And why is it important to teach others about music?
MARIA
Well, I believe very strongly that everyone is musical and that music is for everyone. And that's not saying that everyone is meant to be a professional musician or even to make music that other people necessarily want to listen to. But you know, God has told us in His Word numerous times to make music and sing to the Lord. And I don't think he would tell us to do that.
DANIEL
We have this definition of what music is and some might be listening going, “I can't do what Maria does. I can't just sit with my babies and start singing lullabies. I can't just do that.” So what encouragement do you have for those people that just, you know, the Lord says, make a joyful noise, right? But what encouragement do you have for those people?
MARIA
If you can talk, you can sing.
DANIEL
I know you've been a big believer. You have said anyone can sing.
MARIA
Anyone can sing, anyone can sing. Some people you know just are a little bit more natural, just like with anything. If you can talk, you can sing. And I would encourage parents if they don't feel like they're good singers, yes you are. And don't pass that on to your, don't pass it on to your kids. I mean, look at our look at our sister Mandy. We have a tape of her singing when she first came, she was three and it was pretty monotone. It was, she didn’t change pitch. She just sang the same. Now look at her. She's one of my, she's my favorite female vocalist. She has a beautiful voice because she was in this environment where she had a lot of music around her, you know? Yes. Our mom was a beautiful singer. Our grandpa was. So maybe your mom, but there are recordings and now, you know, with streaming, music is at our fingertips. And I would just encourage you, maybe if you don't feel comfortable singing to your child, make sure that they're listening to quality music, classical music, beautiful music, so that they can get that in their ear and…
DANIEL
I want to ask you a question, Maria, about those people who don't think of themselves as being musically gifted. It's a challenge to sing. It's a challenge to keep the right key, the tune, and maybe they're a little quieter, maybe they’re a little more reserved, or maybe they're hesitant to join their church choir or a different thing where they could be used. What encouragement or advice do you have for those people?
MARIA
I just want to tell you that if you're listening to this right now, it's not a coincidence. And the truth is, is that you are a musician. That music is for you. It is a gift from God to you. And that is the truth that I want you to know.
DANIEL
That gift looks different.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
For everyone that's going to do it. You know, some people just need that extra encouragement too.
MARIA
Absolutely.
DANIEL
And how can we as parents or as people encourage others?
MARIA
Well, I would just say, you know, wherever you're at, maybe you go to church and you never sing the hymns or the praise songs. You know, this Sunday, just make some noise. Just give it a try. And I know that can be daunting. But, you know, whoever's listening, what it is, maybe you've been wanting to audition for the community theater musical that you just don't think you're good enough. Show up, you know, audition. Maybe you played an instrument in high school, and it's sitting in your closet right now. Take it out. You know, whatever it is, you know. I just encourage you to do it.
DANIEL
As a teacher, an instructor. You have seen, you've had students who might not be the most musically gifted or talented, but for you, that doesn't matter.
MARIA
No.
DANIEL
You just want them to be able to express themselves through music. Passionately. Confidently.
MARIA
Yes.
DANIEL
And yeah, when they perform in front of somebody that, you know, anybody that I, any recitals I've been to of yours, every student just does it with confidence and gusto, “No, this is my connection. This is a point for me that's really good, and Maria's instructed me to be connected to the Lord, to this art, this medium.”
MARIA
Well, that's very kind of you to say, but that would be my hope. That would be. That would be my hope.
DANIEL
Sure. But it's there. I think it's there in the people that you instruct. I mean, my own children are. They've taken piano lessons from you. And we saw that with one of my sons. He just got up there and just pounded out the music. So boldly and confidently. And I think that you do a good job with just what you've said in this podcast. Music isn't about holding the key. It's not about being perfect. It's not about if you can play piano or not.
MARIA
It's not about being perfect. It's just about doing it.
DANIEL
Yeah, yeah. How do you see music as being a tool God uses to minister to us and to those we interact with?
MARIA
Well, that's a very cool question because music is a gift that God has given us, that we can then in turn, give back to him. If you think about having a way to communicate your soul to your maker, that's pretty profound. And then, as I spoke of earlier about the bond that music creates between people, that's what really we want in life is to connect with others and in a meaningful way. And music allows you to do that. Even, I want to mention, you know, my husband, who wouldn't call himself a musician, but he loves music. He talks about different groups he listened to as a kid, you know, with our kids. They share that love of music that they can talk about. You know, something you can talk to your teenagers with is, it's good.
DANIEL
As we come to the close of this podcast, you know, let's, can you give us some practical ways, for families, for parents to help their families, or individuals to help them get involved in music. What are some things that they could do just now in their own homes?
MARIA
Well, one thing that’s very simple that we do, you know, it's not like we sit around singing together all the time.
DANIEL
I thought you guys this was a constant, like, Les Mis situation. Where it’s just constantly singing all the time, you know, Sam’s in the background just playing his guitar and everyone singing. Well, it's not that?
MARIA
No, I do like those moments when they occur, but, you know, something practical to do would just to be singing your table grace before you eat, you know, and we just do a simple one: “Lord, we thank you for our food, Hallelujah. Lord, we thank you for our food. Hallelujah.” That's it.
DANIEL
That was the first one that you guys did, wasn't it?
MARIA
Pretty simple, yeah. That would be one, you know, pick one and do that. I have a great, books that have the hymns stories that we use as devotions. And so you read a devotion, you read some scripture, and then there's a hymn that goes along with it.
DANIEL
What's another way? You've talked about, you know, table prayers and hymns. What about like, how else have you incorporated hymns into your family life?
MARIA
Well, I like to have hymn times whenever our family gets together. It's a way to connect with loved ones, you know, who live past, like our grandpa. And even if the kids might not be totally into it at the moment…
DANIEL
I'm sometimes not into it at the moment.
MARIA
You're not?
DANIEL
Maybe I shouldn't have told you that.
MARIA
They've said, “Well, aren't we going to sing a hymn tonight?” Like, things will come up later where I was like, “Oh, yeah, they did enjoy that.” And that's because God gave us music. That's because it will do it. Music will do it. If we just open ourselves up to it and allow it.
DANIEL
And then you had one more practical, fun thing. Would you talk about what that one fun thing is for families?
MARIA
Oh, well, lately, you know, when the kids are just maybe sitting on their phones or I'm just sitting on my phone, you know, I'll just get up to turn on the 80s best of dance hits.
DANIEL
Why the 80s?
MARIA
Well, it's the best. That's the best dance music. You know, Michael Jackson, Madonna. You might not totally approve of the lyrics always, but the beat.
DANIEL
Yeah.
MARIA
And the music.
DANIEL
Yeah.
MARIA
It just gets you going and sometimes I'm dancing by myself and the kids are just
DANIEL
Just looking at you like…
MARIA
rolling their eyes, but…
DANIEL
They don't even. They’re just used to it, “There goes mom, it's fine. Just let it go.” Does Danny ever join you?
MARIA
Yeah. He has joined me. He will, he'll participate a little bit.
DANIEL
But I appreciate that. That sometimes even, you know, you want others to be involved, but you're like, no, I just need to do it, and that's fine.
MARIA
Yes. Yeah. Let loose, let loose.
DANIEL
Yeah. Last question for you, Maria. Finally, how is God glorified through music? In your opinion, how is God glorified?
MARIA
Since God tells us to make music to him and sing to him, when we do that, we're being obedient. So I think that glorifies him.
MARIA
Ephesians 5:19: “Speak to yourselves with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” And that's my prayer whenever I sing or…that God would be glorified.
DANIEL
That's wonderful. Well, Maria, thank you for talking about music. Thank you for speaking to your passion for that. And I hope that our audience is encouraged in their musical efforts. And maybe they've heard something today that encouraged them to continue on that path.
MARIA
But yeah, I definitely pray so.
DANIEL
Thanks, Maria.
MARIA
Thank you Daniel.
DANIEL
Thank you for listening to this week's BeLED Family Podcast episode. We appreciate you taking the time to tune in. Help us by sharing this podcast with your friends. Support the BeLED Family Podcast and BeLED Family by visiting us at our website, beledfamily.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. As a reminder, the BeLED Family Podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional advice. Until the next episode BeLED in all that you do.
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