Without Richard Small's instructions, suggestions, help and encouragement we ("West Creek Harmony") would not have been able to upload our music. We marvel at the more than 1,091,192 views of our recordings and pray they are uplifting and benefiting the listeners. We are more grateful than we know how to express because it gives us such pleasure knowing our music is ministering to people who listen, and hopefully drawing them closer to our loving Savior. THANK YOU, RICHARD..... Carol Reeves for West Creek Harmony (P.S. I've been told that I am experiencing early dementia and would love your prayers regarding that. My mother had it, as did her mother as well. 12-13-2018
Hi folks... Duke Buzza and I have been chatting about you and it brought to mind an email I wrote to 56 fellow singers in a choral group I belonged to several years ago. My thoughts about this subject have not changed. After our concert last night I spoke at length with a man and his wife who sat in the very center back row. As I watched the audience during our performance I noticed that he mouthed the words to almost every song. I was rather amazed that his words and my words were the same (I am not a good lip reader but when you’re singing words and the person in front of you is singing along you can tell if it's your words or not). Anyway, we were chatting away and I mentioned that I had noticed how well he knew the words and his wife stepped in front of him and said very quietly, "My husband has Alzheimer’s. If he already knew a song he can remember the words to it, but he cannot remember what he did yesterday. Don't mention I said this because it makes him feel bad." She stepped back beside him and said, "This facility has sing-a-long nights on Monday and Wednesday and my husband loves to go because he remembers the songs they sing. Music is the one thing that brings him joy." Imagine… the words are in this man's head and for some reason once they are associated with music there seems to be a link that jumps around the broken memory and gives him something to hold onto, an anchor in the midst of the oncoming memory loss. I think this example demonstrates very clearly that there is something about music that transcends everything else. Even though I have no evidence of what I am about to say, I believe that God gave mankind music so we would have a meaningful way to worship Him. I think that means that whenever we engage in a musical activity, we open some type of channel to God. I also think he gave us harmonies so we would be encouraged to worship him in groups. How does that happen? I have no idea. But I do know that when I sing I feel better than when I don't sing. I like people more when I sing with them than when I don't sing. And I know that as a group we seem to like each other more when we are done singing then when we start. Can you say the same thing about your Rotary, PTA, or other groups to which you belong? Somehow, when we sing together in harmonies, the music seems to draw us closer and transcends all the other issues in our lives. I love singing with my bass part beside the altos and sopranos and tenors because I can hear their parts "match up" to mine and it feels… well… "right". Singing parts certainly makes music more interesting but I think even more than that is that it draws people together because somehow God is in the mix. I don't think it really matters what the words are, what style of music you are singing, or what thoughts you have while singing the words. Gospel, Country Western, Pop, Rap, Opera… it all seems to use the same mechanism, and I think the mechanism inside the man at the concert that lets him remember the words associated with the music when he has forgotten the name of his wife, where he lives, and what he did yesterday is because somehow the music he hears in some unexplainable manner boosts his connection to God Himself. It also seems to be a plausible explanation of why we fellow singers come away from each practice and performance excited and feeling some kind of special "joy". It is that mysterious "thing" that Angela's study is trying to define. My wife and I have spent the past six years singing on the weekends with residents of assisted living, medical rehab, and a residence for individuals with mental issues. To support this (because I don't play the piano and I have limited friends who play and are willing to give up their time on the weekend), I have created a variety of songs on movie DVDs so if you want to sing "Oklahoma" you click the button and the piano plays and the words appear on the screen (a poor man's version of karaoke). You can hear some of the songs on the other tab at this website (all piano is by my friend Kevin Cope). Here is an example of our music. ua-cam.com/video/HQ83sM_mVdY/v-deo.html Let me share one instance in particular. Until January of this year we went to a local assisted living facility every Sunday at 2 p.m. Usually we would have 12-15 residents from the minimum assistance side, and perhaps another 12-15 residents from the locked memory unit. One of the memory unit individuals was a man I'll just call Perry. He had lost the ability to communicate other than to grunt, and he was slowing down so he shuffled along. When he walked into the lunch room for our singing time, I would greet Perry with a hug and then sit beside him while we sang. For the last 6-7 months of his life, he and I sat together every Sunday and while I sang Perry would reach over to touch my arm and gently tap the beat in time with the music, his face would get flushed from an adrenaline rush and he would sometimes weep. I could see that he loved sitting there sharing the music. As he left each day I would walk him to the locked door and buzz them in and Perry would give me a hug and squeeze my arm as if to say… "I may not be able to communicate through speech, but today I was with you. I may not remember anything else during this very confusing time, but by the beat of my hand on your arm I want you to know that I REMEMBER something." It has been the Perry's of the world that prompted my wife and I to continue singing week after week. We see people every weekend who are thankful we came… not because we are anything special, but because we bring the music with us. Let me tell you another short story that on the surface has nothing to do with music, but buried within is a concept that seems very similar to the thoughts I just shared. This story is about a scene from a movie I once saw called "Chariots of Fire". If you didn't see it, one of the two main stars of the movie was a man named Eric Liddell. Eric was a Christian missionary who lived in China with his missionary parents and sister (Jenny) but who had returned to England to attend a University. He was a marvelous runner who had the opportunity to represent England in the Olympics that same year (they were held in France). The scene I want to describe occurs when Jenny has traveled to England to ask Eric to return to missionary service in China immediately and not run in the Olympics. The two of them are walking and discussing Eric's decision to delay returning until he runs in the Olympics in France. Eric admits that he knows his future is in China, but he also has something to accomplish first, and then he stops, turns to his sister and says, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure..." Wow… "I feel God's pleasure"… what a thought. I believe that the reason music draws us together and why we feel as high as a kite when we sing is because in some inexplicable way we also are feeling God's pleasure. Blessings Richard Small
I just found your music and I absolutely love all of your music. I was hoping you had videos or cds for sale. Am Lifting you up in prayer as requested.
Without Richard Small's instructions, suggestions, help and encouragement we ("West Creek Harmony") would not have been able to upload our music. We marvel at the more than 1,091,192 views of our recordings and pray they are uplifting and benefiting the listeners. We are more grateful than we know how to express because it gives us such pleasure knowing our music is ministering to people who listen, and hopefully drawing them closer to our loving Savior. THANK YOU, RICHARD..... Carol Reeves for West Creek Harmony (P.S. I've been told that I am experiencing early dementia and would love your prayers regarding that. My mother had it, as did her mother as well. 12-13-2018
Hi folks... Duke Buzza and I have been chatting about you and it brought to mind an email I wrote to 56 fellow singers in a choral group I belonged to several years ago. My thoughts about this subject have not changed.
After our concert last night I spoke at length with a man and his wife who sat in the very center back row. As I watched the audience during our performance I noticed that he mouthed the words to almost every song. I was rather amazed that his words and my words were the same (I am not a good lip reader but when you’re singing words and the person in front of you is singing along you can tell if it's your words or not).
Anyway, we were chatting away and I mentioned that I had noticed how well he knew the words and his wife stepped in front of him and said very quietly, "My husband has Alzheimer’s. If he already knew a song he can remember the words to it, but he cannot remember what he did yesterday. Don't mention I said this because it makes him feel bad."
She stepped back beside him and said, "This facility has sing-a-long nights on Monday and Wednesday and my husband loves to go because he remembers the songs they sing. Music is the one thing that brings him joy."
Imagine… the words are in this man's head and for some reason once they are associated with music there seems to be a link that jumps around the broken memory and gives him something to hold onto, an anchor in the midst of the oncoming memory loss. I think this example demonstrates very clearly that there is something about music that transcends everything else.
Even though I have no evidence of what I am about to say, I believe that God gave mankind music so we would have a meaningful way to worship Him. I think that means that whenever we engage in a musical activity, we open some type of channel to God. I also think he gave us harmonies so we would be encouraged to worship him in groups.
How does that happen? I have no idea. But I do know that when I sing I feel better than when I don't sing. I like people more when I sing with them than when I don't sing. And I know that as a group we seem to like each other more when we are done singing then when we start. Can you say the same thing about your Rotary, PTA, or other groups to which you belong? Somehow, when we sing together in harmonies, the music seems to draw us closer and transcends all the other issues in our lives. I love singing with my bass part beside the altos and sopranos and tenors because I can hear their parts "match up" to mine and it feels… well… "right".
Singing parts certainly makes music more interesting but I think even more than that is that it draws people together because somehow God is in the mix. I don't think it really matters what the words are, what style of music you are singing, or what thoughts you have while singing the words. Gospel, Country Western, Pop, Rap, Opera… it all seems to use the same mechanism, and I think the mechanism inside the man at the concert that lets him remember the words associated with the music when he has forgotten the name of his wife, where he lives, and what he did yesterday is because somehow the music he hears in some unexplainable manner boosts his connection to God Himself. It also seems to be a plausible explanation of why we fellow singers come away from each practice and performance excited and feeling some kind of special "joy". It is that mysterious "thing" that Angela's study is trying to define.
My wife and I have spent the past six years singing on the weekends with residents of assisted living, medical rehab, and a residence for individuals with mental issues. To support this (because I don't play the piano and I have limited friends who play and are willing to give up their time on the weekend), I have created a variety of songs on movie DVDs so if you want to sing "Oklahoma" you click the button and the piano plays and the words appear on the screen (a poor man's version of karaoke). You can hear some of the songs on the other tab at this website (all piano is by my friend Kevin Cope). Here is an example of our music. ua-cam.com/video/HQ83sM_mVdY/v-deo.html
Let me share one instance in particular.
Until January of this year we went to a local assisted living facility every Sunday at 2 p.m. Usually we would have 12-15 residents from the minimum assistance side, and perhaps another 12-15 residents from the locked memory unit. One of the memory unit individuals was a man I'll just call Perry. He had lost the ability to communicate other than to grunt, and he was slowing down so he shuffled along. When he walked into the lunch room for our singing time, I would greet Perry with a hug and then sit beside him while we sang.
For the last 6-7 months of his life, he and I sat together every Sunday and while I sang Perry would reach over to touch my arm and gently tap the beat in time with the music, his face would get flushed from an adrenaline rush and he would sometimes weep. I could see that he loved sitting there sharing the music. As he left each day I would walk him to the locked door and buzz them in and Perry would give me a hug and squeeze my arm as if to say… "I may not be able to communicate through speech, but today I was with you. I may not remember anything else during this very confusing time, but by the beat of my hand on your arm I want you to know that I REMEMBER something." It has been the Perry's of the world that prompted my wife and I to continue singing week after week. We see people every weekend who are thankful we came… not because we are anything special, but because we bring the music with us.
Let me tell you another short story that on the surface has nothing to do with music, but buried within is a concept that seems very similar to the thoughts I just shared. This story is about a scene from a movie I once saw called "Chariots of Fire". If you didn't see it, one of the two main stars of the movie was a man named Eric Liddell. Eric was a Christian missionary who lived in China with his missionary parents and sister (Jenny) but who had returned to England to attend a University. He was a marvelous runner who had the opportunity to represent England in the Olympics that same year (they were held in France).
The scene I want to describe occurs when Jenny has traveled to England to ask Eric to return to missionary service in China immediately and not run in the Olympics. The two of them are walking and discussing Eric's decision to delay returning until he runs in the Olympics in France. Eric admits that he knows his future is in China, but he also has something to accomplish first, and then he stops, turns to his sister and says, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure..."
Wow… "I feel God's pleasure"… what a thought. I believe that the reason music draws us together and why we feel as high as a kite when we sing is because in some inexplicable way we also are feeling God's pleasure.
Blessings
Richard Small
I just found your music and I absolutely love all of your music. I was hoping you had videos or cds for sale. Am Lifting you up in prayer as requested.
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