Feeling inspired! I was fortunate enough to get to see one of my musical idols in concert this past weekend, none other than Paul Simon. His music certainly touched my soul from a very young age. I can remember countless hours of listening to records of Simon and Garfunkel with my friends back in high school. And how can I forget my parents blasting the Graceland album throughout the house while all of us would sing along at the top of our lungs!

Paul Simon was definitely a strong musical influence in my life growing up and I love his music today just as much as I did then. His music is so beautiful, with rich harmonies, interesting melodies, fantastic instrumentation and unexpected nuances in form. What an inspiration. Seeing him in concert was a real treat – something I never would have thought would happen in my lifetime! Not only that but seeing him at such an intimate venue as the Sound Academy made it even better! And to make him even more iconic in my mind, he actually invited a young woman up from the audience to play with him! Wow, what it must’ve been like to be her in that moment! He played the 2 songs I most wanted to hear during his 2 encores – Kodachrome and Late in the Evening. He even played the first song that really made me fall in love with Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence (This tiny little pic is him playing The Sound of Silence).

Now that I’m back to reality and continue to have Paul Simon tunes float around in my head has prompted me to revisit my old Simon and Garfunkel music book. And pulling it out of my shelf, I am reminded again of my love for Simon’s music by the tattered book holding together by one little thread and a staple. Well used is an understatement. Perhaps it’s a sign I should be passing this amazing music on to my music students by teaching some of these amazing tunes in our lessons!