Eclecticity

For my whole musical life I've felt like perhaps I'm 'too eclectic'. I'll play Debussy at a classical piano recital, listen to Yaima as I go about my day, accompany a choir rehearsal, and then perform a Joni Mitchell song on guitar at a folk open mic night.

And I've felt odd about it. I'm practising the Chopin cello and piano sonata with my guitar calluses clicking mildly against the keys, my (somewhat neglected) harp sitting beside my desk, and my CD shelves and playlists perhaps the oddest ever mixture of everything from medieval Irish plainchant to Motown. As a wise woman (a.k.a. my mom) says, 'I don't care what kind of music it is, as long as it's GOOD music!'

So why should my extreme eclecticity matter? It probably shouldn't. But recently, when I realized that it did seem to matter and began to dig into why it bothered me, I saw that I've unconsciously been holding a couple of assumptions: that the classical music world will think I'm not serious enough, and that the rest of the music world will think I'm stuck-up.

Also, realistically, do I have enough time and energy and ability to do it all as well as I'd want to? I've asked myself that, too, other people's theoretical opinions aside.

But now I'm consciously putting those phantom opinions aside and exploring the possibility: CAN I do it all? In addition to my hopes around writing, and my day-to-day responsibilities, and my growing love for the Work That Reconnects? Could it all be related?

I don't know the answer yet. Join me to find out?