Yesterday I had the opportunity of performing at a Funeral-Memorial Service at French Funeral homes in Rio Rancho, NM. This opportunity has been presented to me through a series of networking moments and is shared with my best friend of many years, Therese. This was our 4th funeral since July.
I consider this opportunity an honor as I perform for families in their various ceremonial or traditional moments. During this particular funeral, I was extremely touched by the many stories of the deceased and his love for his family and religion. It was inspiring and touched my soul. I was also reflective in my own spiritual beliefs and desires to be a servant of the people as a musician. Let me describe:
I am a musician. Music is my career and ultimately every gig is a job in which I trade my time and talent for money. I can go on to say that the pay goes towards years of development in my musicality and professionalism, as well as to a knowledge of such ceremonious events. This is very true, yes, this is a job, but what I am proud to bring to the table is not the trade of talent for money. It is truly an honor to bring peace, comfort, joy, reflection, and more to these families with little-to-no-stress on whether the musician will know what they are doing, show up, and when to perform. Therese and I both have a long history of church service, funeral, wedding and other service performances.
The widow at this particular funeral, touched my heart when she smiled at me after we finished playing the prelude. Being able to sing two hymns that she chose brought me closer to my servitude to humanity.
Danielle Frabutt Garcia 