Talk:2000 to 2010/@comment-65.191.242.221-20140530221312





Dear "Mom",

When I first walked into the chorus room that fateful day in September I did not know what to expect. The bulk of my musical expertise consisted of horribly off-pitch singing in the shower so I was pretty sure my future in music was quite limited and my voice was going to take on more of a background role. The four years I spent with you as my teacher and mentor at Red Hook showed me how wrong I was to think that way. As I look back now over the past nine years since I graduated in 2005, I realize how important singing is to my life and how important it is to let that inner voice I have out.

     When I was crawling through the mud and muck of the Dog River during my Cadet training I couldn’t help but think about the “Jordan River, chilly and cold, [that] chills the body, but not the soul”. A few years later Freddy Mercury’s lyrics propelled me through my first marathon. All I could seem to remember was to “play it cool boy, real cool” as 50 or so Soldiers and I prepared to conduct our first parachute jump from an airplane. And as I laid family, friends, and comrades to their final resting place, the one thing that brought me comfort were the words of the Suo Gan:

“May you slumber, E’er so softly. Dream of visions, wondrous fair. I will hold you, close enfold you. Close your eyes now, go to sleep.”

     Admiral McRaven, recently told the University of Texas Class of 2014 that “If you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud” – I couldn't agree more. I guess what I’m trying to say Mrs. Robinson, is that you taught me that music is more than just “notes on a page”… it’s about relationships and empathy and hope. Thank you for teaching me that "Mom".



With Love,

Matt Radman

Class of 2005

