My original music, music resources and musing about music
Are we really happy in this lonely game we play… (This Masquerade by Leon Russell) Several months ago, I sang this song for a worship service led by my friend, Mike Jenkins, at our Unitarian Universalist congregation. The song was a good fit to the main message: take off your mental masks so we can … Continue reading The Power of Masks
Several summers ago I was looking for seashells at the beach during a family vacation. Because my friends and I had agreed to sing songs for an event for people living in poverty with AIDS after the vacation, I decided to bring lots of beautiful, perfect shells for the occasion. My thinking was that since … Continue reading We Are As Good As We Can Be
A few weeks ago, my husband showed me an obituary of Mr. Melvin Frye. Melvin first came to tune our piano when our older children were still taking piano lessons. We owned—and still own—a red Yamaha upright piano similar to the one I grew up playing in Japan. Though Melvin was a Steinway specialist, he … Continue reading A Tribute to a Piano Technician
Long, long time ago one afternoon, I was looking at my first baby sleeping in her crib. She was so little and looked helpless in her crib-cage. She looked alone. But I, her mother, was standing outside and just watching her. Ordinarily I would have seen peacefulness or bliss in a sleeping baby. But on … Continue reading On Being Mother or Ultimate Loneliness
Last Friday started out to be a very unproductive day. After a couple of hours of struggling to find something meaningful to do, a large tangle of yarns on the floor of a closet drew my attention. The yarns used to be in a large plastic trash bag with the top tied in a knot … Continue reading Unraveling Tangled Yarns: Unraveling Tangles in My Brain
When I grew up in Japan I really loved to dance. Every summer during the Bon festival to honor our ancestors, I joined the circle of Bon odori dance in a park across the street from my home. Everyone danced around the stage in a big circle, copying the good dancers on a small stage … Continue reading Dancing My Own Story
Leaves are red Leaves are orange Shining vividly in the cold autumn rain Leaves are red Leaves are orange Shining brightly in the cold autumn sun Leaves are red Leaves are orange Shining faintly in the cold autumn wind These words were written as refrains for a song after my father died on … Continue reading Fall Colors: Remembering My Father
Welcome to my music page! I am a multifaceted musician originally trained as a classical pianist. I am a Leader of the Music for People leadership program. Please explore my music! To purchase an album or tracks, follow the links below. Japan, My Homeland A charity album featuring original settings to Japanese poems by Tachiya … Continue reading Yuri Yamamoto Music Links
Accompanist for the Soul 