GENUINE: sincerely and honestly felt or experienced, authentic, candid, natural, real, open-hearted, direct, transparent, on the level.
Linda Dessau — My Creative Journey
I've been a musician all my life. I sang in school choirs and begged for piano lessons (and got them) from the age of 6. I attended a high school with a specialized arts program and learned there about the profession of music therapy. I decided to pursue my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music, first, which I did at York University in Toronto. There I took courses in jazz singing, jazz choir, songwriting, contemporary piano improvisation, African drumming and dance, South Indian drumming and music history.
My fondest memories of York were of my time in Wibijazz'n' (now known as Wibi), a student-run singing group that specialized in re-creating popular songs in the a-capella format. I also did some performing as a solo jazz vocalist, with small combos.
I've studied singing, piano, guitar, hand percussion and drum kit.
I love my work as a music therapist — the magical moments I share with my clients, coupled with the fact that it's our music-making that's creating the magic, can be transcendental on a good day, and innately rewarding on even a mediocre day.
And what I'm realizing more and more is that I need to be making music outside of those sessions with clients. I need to be making music for the sole purpose of expressing MY inner magic, of saying what I need to say.
And so I explore different mediums of music-making, and other creative forms as well.
