I always thought “Mouth-breather” was derogatory— a designation for that kid at summer camp with allergies and a loud snore. My dance teachers and singing teachers instructed me to breath in through my nose and out through my mouth.
Then I went to record my first CD, “The Joy We Share,” and I learned a new definition. In the beautiful Rieth Recital Hall of Goshen College where my socked feet were thunder on the floor, my sound engineer would end every take begging me to breathe so he didn’t hear my breath come through the microphones. I put so much energy into my music, I breathe in during rests and wheeze out during decrescendos. And I had a stuffy nose. Over and over again my sound man would pull off his headphones saying, “Breath through your mouth!”
So I’ve spent the last year and a half training myself to be a mouth breather.
To record my Christmas CD, we again rented Rieth Recital Hall, and this time I had my breathing down to a science—I gaped like a guppy, lips parted for all my songs. And my wonderful sound engineer only heard my smile.
But my breath was not the only thing that could interrupt my recording session. Rieth Recital Hall’s superior acoustics were built a quarter of a mile away from the train tracks and, “When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry.”
Johnny Cash really knows how to phrase things.
Then there was the college tour that opened the soft seals of the door right on the end of a take. I can’t blame them for showing the beautiful music center to prospective students. But we did post a recording in progress sign.
Now that this CD is done I can breathe a loud sigh of relief, either out of my nose or my mouth. But I did learn that creating something beautiful, like heavenly music, sometimes involves doing something I didn’t expect, like becoming a mouth breather. Sometimes becoming worthy of heaven also involves doing things you don’t expect, like being kind to enemies and people who interrupt your recordings. . . But the end result is worth it.
And I am panting with anticipation to share these recordings with you! Stay tuned to hear when the CD arrives!