AuthorElder Gary Middleton |
Testimony by Gary MiddletonThis year I have accomplished a dream I never dreamed I could dream: I have released a music album. In fact, by the time you read this, I will have released 2! |
Music has always been a love of mine since I was young. Shortly after my parents and I moved to Topeka, Mary Johnson encouraged me, and my parents for me, to pursue voice lessons with an accomplished vocal musician, Professor Gordon Gaines. After an audition, and with strong recommendation from Mary, he accepted me as a student, even though I was still in Junior High School (quite young for voice lessons). Those lessons started me down the road that eventually led me to pursue and gain a degree in music with an emphasis in vocal performance from Washburn University.
|
A career in music performance, however, is highly competitive and time consuming and, like most of us, as a new graduate I needed guaranteed gainful employment. I had a strong interest in public safety, and I accepted a position that turned into a career. Music, however, never went away.
|
Music is so important to me that it is part of me. I think in music. Music is a part of my life in every way I can imagine. Music is a part of our biology. Music is integral in nature, another love that found it’s way into my heart at an early age. Music is part of our brains and part of our connection with others at a very basic level. Music is part of our connection with God. There is a saying that the person who sings, prays twice. So, over the years, sharing this gift took many forms in my life, both professionally and privately, from solo work to choirs, sometimes as a performer and sometimes as a director or an arranger. As the years passed and the experiences piled up, the desire to do more composition and writing grew. I decided to create a music production studio in my home and as software and equipment went on sale, I purchased what I needed and, as time allowed, tried to learn how to use it.
|
When I retired, I thought that was my opportunity, but God put other things in my path. In His time, He again placed music in front of me, without more pressing distractions. He has blessed me with insights, thoughts and ideas to now be able to write and compose, and, as I said earlier, achieve a dream I never dreamed I could dream.
|
I began by creating new arrangements for a few hymns in the public domain, then writing 2 fully original pieces for Christmas. My first fully original piece to be released was “The Silver Thread” which I wrote for my wife for our 25th wedding anniversary this year, and others followed. An arrangement of “Amazing Grace” called “God’s Amazing Grace” was released soon after. After receiving encouragement from family and friends I released the album, Sacred Pathways – a collection of 8 songs combining both new arrangements of old favorites and fully original songs. All of these were first released to digital platforms like Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and others, and due to inquiries and requests from family and friends, release of Sacred Pathways on CD followed.
While this has been a lot of work and has involved an incredible amount of time & energy, it has gone amazingly smoothly and quickly.
|
While this has been a lot of work and has involved an incredible amount of time & energy, it has gone amazingly smoothly and quickly. Music was approved and accepted for publication much faster than expected with music sometimes being approved the same day it was submitted – something I have learned is not common. But the amazing thing has been the music. Like always, the music and lyrics spoke to me and speak through me (I sing many of the selections on Sacred Pathways and all of them on The Beautiful Ordinary). When I needed guidance, it was there. When I needed answers He directed me to where they could be found. When I needed opinions, family in its many forms, was available and supportive and encouraging, as always. I have been blessed.
|
The sacred album has quickly been followed by a more secular album based on the love I feel and the experiences I have had in nature in general, and in Kansas specifically. Some of the new songs are specific to Kansas (“The Midnight Sun”) while others could be anywhere (“The Common Ground”). The styles are very eclectic including atmospheric, 60’s folk intellectual, folk rock, harmonic folk, contemporary americana, Jangle-pop, baroque folk, reflective/intimate, modern instrumental/americana, symphonic pop & country. I now have a music style that is attributed to me and is unique and never been used before. Even though some styles are original, they all speak with their words and their notes. At this writing, most of these songs have been released and are included in the album The Beautiful Ordinary which will also be released on CD shortly. Each song contains the Divine, and the Divine guided me along the way. Each song has become a blessing to me and I believe and pray that each song may be a blessing to others that they may be touched by the Divine through the imagery and the experience of listening.
I have discovered that there is another “Gary Middleton” out there publishing music and if you just search my name, you will find him rather than me! So, I’ve made it easier - If you are interested in checking out any of this music, please click the link below to go to my website that will take you directly to the music, either in CD form or to your favored digital platform for immediate listening. There is also a QR code that will take you to the same place.
Thank you for spending time with these songs—whether you stream them once, share them with a friend, download them to keep or purchase a CD. Your support means more than I can express. Every listen helps these melodies and messages reach hearts beyond my own. As I continue creating new music and shaping future projects, I’m deeply grateful for your prayerful support. Your prayers strengthen the work behind the scenes and help guide each step forward. May these songs bless you as much as your encouragement has always blessed me.
RSS Feed
