By Heather Sanders.
The three winners of Makenzie Caine’s “Take This Town” CD are:
#235 Liz: “My Dad played opera and bluegrass records on our record player on the weekends.”
#91 Sami: “First exposure would have been home/church. Mom always had the radio on and of course we were at church every Sunday morning.”
#260 Wendi: “I can never remember a time that I did not hear music. My Mom and Dad sang in the church choir along with my grandpa. My mom and 2 of my grandmas played piano. My dad’s parents were traveling musicians when the were younger so there was always music at their home. Spending the night at my grandparents meant either Lawrence Welk or Sunday morning tv evangelists and their choirs. Music always surrounded me, and for that I am so thankful.”
Congratulations, winners! Contact heather@omsh.com to claim your FREE CD!
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A couple of weeks ago I posted an interview about the importance of integrating music into the homeschool environment at an early age. Even before that particular post I was already jotting down ideas about how to expand our family’s exposure to the musical arts throughout the upcoming homeschool year.
As I have discovered time and time again, when I begin earnestly looking for answers they tend to appear at every turn. That is exactly what happened with regards to music.
First, Meredith came to me and specifically asked for piano lessons.
PIANO LESSONS?
Really?
Yep, really.
Meredith came with a very strong argument – learning how to both read and write music, not just her own made up version of chords/cheat sheets, would be fun AND help her be a better guitar player. I could hardly turn down that line of reasoning.
The next step was to seek out a piano teacher, which I did.
And now I find myself combing Craigslist for an affordable piano, or at the very least, a keyboard with weighted keys. As my grandmother would say, “Oh my lands!”
In just a few short weeks I went from thinking about integrating more music into our year, to enrolling my middle daughter in piano lessons, to seeking out a significant (in size and financial resources) music instrument for our home.
I was about halfway through the above process when I had the opportunity to hear Makenzie Caine for the first time. Something about her music, sound and lyrics resonated deeply with me and I wrote her immediately to begin a discussion about when and how she came to love music.
What? You don’t do that?
Go and Listen. You’ll understand.
Makenzie Caine – Musical Inspiration
Thankfully, my conversation with Makenzie flowed and eventually turned into an interview of sorts as she shared how the richness of her early exposure to music and art grew within her a creativity that has yielded an abundant amount of fruit in her life.
She was gracious enough to respond in more depth to some of my questions and I’ve posted everything below in interview format for you to read and enjoy.
From your bio it appears as though you have been graced to pursue a career that inspires you creatively. Where do you believe you gained the confidence to make this happen?
It all stems back to my family. I was recently home on the farm and my “bestie” since first grade said, “You know, I’ve yet to meet someone in your extended family that isn’t artistic and running their own business or doing something with their creative talent.” I was like, “Huh? I guess you’re right!” We’re a bunch of artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and dreamers. I’m so thankful for that. I was never told to think about a REAL job while growing up. Often our dinner table experience consisted of tossing new ideas around. There are limiting beliefs everywhere in the world, but on the whole, I had a fertile environment for creativity and was allowed the space to let my imagination fly.
In addition to a creative environment, I was also raised to believe that God gives us all talents that should be used to make the world a better place. So, at a young age I identified which of my talents (or nifty abilities) I wanted to use and focus on to help others. I think, by being motivated by a sincere purpose I was able to find the confidence to dive head first into a career path full of uncertainty (yet utter fulfillment). Sometimes you make money in a musical/artistic career and sometimes you don’t, but your driving purpose and love of creativity keep you on course.
Makenzie as a baby with her sister and parents.
In our correspondence you mentioned that your mother is a creative soul. Do you have any childhood memories you can share of how she passed this along to you and/or your sister?
My mother taught my sister and I that cleaning the house and doing chores is best with good music and dancing. Essentially, EVERYTHING is better with good music and dancing! In Minnesota, there can be A LOT of blizzards so we also had plenty of opportunities to soak in old movie musicals (classics like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Guys & Dolls). Mom also wrote music and often had her guitar at church, around campfires, and at community events where my sister and I (and inevitably my dad too) would end up entertaining.
You said that your first song ever was about a dog. Can you share more about that?
Well, I used to tap dance on the top of our above ground well on the farm and croon for all the cats and dogs, and yes – my first full song was about Bandit, an English Springer Spaniel who I LOVED. When I was little I pledged to marry, or at least take that dog to the prom. (Clearly I had no clue about the realities of such things!) By the time that song evolved all the way in the sixth grade, it had became a rap. Yes. This skinny, country girl made up a rap in the sixth grade. Let me tell you, if you’re into that type of music you’d be very disappointed. It included rhymes like “cool” and “school” and “ma” and “pa”. hehe
Many musicians get their start singing with family members, in choirs at school or in church, can you remember the first place you sang publicly and the impact it had on you?
Our little family sang in church (people called us the Von Greimanns instead of the Von Trapps – totally nerdy, I know). We often participated in community theatre together, even my dad would get roped in off his horse to play a bit part every now and then. Choir also had a huge impact on me and dance. I was just having a conversation with a dear friend from acting school the other day about the people that were most influential to our creative life-paths. Our parents, of course, and those few select teachers in elementary and high school who really made a difference. To this day I’ll get more nervous singing for my choir teacher than for anyone else because I really want to do well! So, for those of you homeschoolers, you’re not only parenting, but teaching as well – which is just so amazing and such a big responsibility!
Are there other musicians in your family that played a part in the development of your career?
Yes, my Aunt Debbie has been Anne Murray’s backup singer for the past 30 years or more. While I was growing up, she always had this mysterious quality about her that I loved. Perhaps it was because she always gave us such cool hand-me downs from the road! She and my mom and my other aunt, Patty, started a cover band a couple years ago. I love hearing them sing. I’m grateful to have parents who are creative and other family members who have explored their talents and continue to develop and grow into their later years with music, art, theatre, dance, design, and writing. It’s very inspiring!
Tell me about a typical family gathering.
Christmas Eve gatherings were always a blast. My grandpa was a magnetic man who would sing “White Christmas” to the player piano and then all the rest of his kids (my aunts and uncles), and his grand-kids would sit around and sing carols all night long with complete harmonies. My mom would bring her guitar, my sister would be at the piano, and us younger kids would bring whatever instrument we were working on at the time (the violin, the saxophone, clarinet). Let me tell you, a violin and saxophone make for pretty interesting and VERY strange duets of “Jingle Bells” and “Away in a Manger”!
Music is obviously a source of happiness and a means of expression for you now. What did it mean for you as a child?
As a child, having the presence of music in my life allowed me the ability to fall asleep at night, to dream actively, and to be accompanied by an ever evolving soundtrack to my rich imaginary life both indoors and out. Some of the greatest truths and life lessons I’ve learned have come from lyrics accompanied by melodies that stick with me to this day. Think about it. How do most kids learn the alphabet? Through a song! As a child I learned life lessons and parables through through classical music, hymns, musical theatre, folk, country, pop and rock. Come to think of it, I even learned a bit of HISTORY through music too! (I noticed you’ve been writing quite a bit of American History lately!) To this day I’ll learn the meaning of something and I’m like, “Oh, THAT’S what that lyric means!” …but perhaps I’m a little bit slow. 
What do you hope to offer others through your music?
I hope to inspire others. Inspire them to chase a dream or two, to think about things from a new perspective, and to inspire laughter, movement, and expression. I think there’s a perfect tune for every setting… there’s the right song we need when we’re ready to cry, when we need to feel motivated, or when we’ve got the urge to dance and celebrate. Music gives us a positive outlet to explore our emotions, and I think that’s a huge blessing and an incredible tool to have in our lives!
When we talked you voiced a growing interest in homeschooling since you have good friends who were homeschooled and your sister is also homeschooling her kids. Why do you think it is important for homeschooling parents to surround their children with a rich variety of music and art?
I think anyone who chooses to homeschool has a deep sense of self-confidence, a DIY attitude, and a commitment to excellence, not to mention abounding love for their children and a can-do spirit. And you’re instilling all of those great qualities into your children’s lives. That’s the sort of makeup that, when mixed with a rich surrounding filled with music and art, can take any girl or boy and make them a life-long artist and positive contributor to society. Whether they choose to make music and art a life-long career choice like myself, or not, it will always be a part of them and will shape their ability to process information, problem solve, and create future, professional dealings that can be unique and highly functional.
As I mentioned above, music & art will also provide them with a positive and SAFE outlet to express themselves and explore their emotions. I remember my sister (who is homeschooling her kids now) spending hours on the piano, just pouring her soul out into those keys. It seemed to be both a means of expression as well as a major source of comfort. Since we attended public school, I often escaped cold, winter recess in the art room and spent study halls in the music room singing songs. I know music and other creative electives aren’t going to connect on that deep a level with every child, but I do believe being exposed to music, arts, and creative writing will increase a child’s ability to excel at their endeavors. It strengthens another part of their brain which will greatly improve their chances for success. 
Watch the “Behind the Scenes Footage” of Makenzie’s taping of her song “Butterfly” with the 14 elementary school students from South Lebanon Elementary school selected to sing back-up.
“Take This Town”
Watch Makenzie’s “Take This Town” video embedded above or click through to watch it here.
WIN A FREE CD or DOWNLOAD OF MAKENZIE CAINE’S CD, “TAKE THIS TOWN!”
Three (3) winners will win one (1) CD or download (winner’s preference) of Makenzie Caine’s CD, “Take This Town”!
HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:
To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section below:
When was the first time you were exposed to music? Was it by a family member, teacher, friend? Share how music has impacted your life!
THE RULES/DETAILS
» One entry per person, please.
» No entries after 6:00 PM (CST) on Sunday, the 9th.
» Winners will be selected at random and announced Sunday evening.
THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING! COMMENTS ARE CLOSED – THE WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!!
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OMSH/Heather L. Sanders is “Momma” to three kids, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. When not homeschooling, or writing about homeschooling, Heather is busy designing websites or going on dates with her husband Jeff, the love of her life.
Thinking of Home Schooling? Read mine and 24 other homeschooling families’ stories shared in the new book, You Can Do It Too!