From Piano to Puccini: About a Heart for Music

This is a coffee table book divided into three parts. Part I is about Northeastern Bible College from 1982 until 1990. The first 80 pages contain actual articles from the school newspaper and commencement coverage in 1990. The next ten pages are about student teaching and letters of recommendation. Part II is about the job market for music teachers in the 1990’s. Chapter 7 is about sacred music and the history of Northeastern Bible College. Part III contains the last five chapters of the book. This section is about music programs, music and membership, and a performance of Bye Bye Birdie in Chapter 10. Chapters 11 and 12 are about music instruction and my solo performance of O Mio Babbino Caro from Puccini’s opera in 2013. In August 1984 I was accepted by NBC and the music department. Every student majored in the Word of God and given a limited choice of minors. I chose music education with a concentration in classical piano. In the 1960’s, my favorite female artists were Barbra Streisand and Motown girl bands. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, it was all about Judy Collins, church hymns, and country western. I didn't take a serious interest in opera until I began singing along to recordings by Sarah Brightman many years later. Over the years, music educators, school administrators, pastors, former teachers, and friends encouraged me to be my personal best. Their dedication to music and education inspired me to write this book.