人生不設限·一“肩”扛起指揮樂團的責任

如果你認為釣魚這種娛樂對我來說有點夸張，那你覺得，當人們知道我在學校的樂團里不只是鼓手，還擔任指揮，會有什么反應?不過，這是真的。我很有節(jié)奏感好嗎。我來自一個打鼓狂家族，而因為我天生有節(jié)奏感，幾個叔叔和他們教會的朋友便買了一部鼓機送我。

If you think fishing is an outrageous pastime for me, just think how people respond when I tell them I was not only a drummer in my school band but a conductor too! It's true, though. I've got the beat, mate. I mastered the rare musical art of hymnal percussion at a young age. Every Sunday night at church I'd set up rows of hymnals of varied thickness. I'd pound out a beat on the hymn books with my foot while the church choir sang. I come from a long line of avid drummers, including my cousin Ian Pasula, who was the first drummer in the church band. I had such a natural ability to keep a beat that a couple of my uncles and their church friends kicked in to buy me a Roland drum machine.

這部鼓機讓我成了“沒手沒腳之一人打擊樂團”，不過教會的鋼琴手、風琴手和鼓手會加入，讓我覺得自己也是樂團的一員。音樂是我靈魂的慰藉，無論是聆聽或彈奏，我都可以陶醉在聲波中，渾然忘我好幾個鐘頭。

The church's pianist, organist, and drummers would join in and make me feel part of the band. I still play a newer version of the drum machine, which I've upgraded with a Mac Keys program, where I can use it as a synthesizer and even play a guitar electronically. Music is a balm for my soul. Whether listening or playing, I can lose myself for hours in waves of sound.

我對音樂的喜愛來自高中的爵士樂團。或許我這輩子到目前為止音樂表現(xiàn)的最高峰，就是我一肩扛起帶領高中樂團的責任那時候(真的是一“肩”扛起哦)。你大概永遠也想不到這樣的工作會由我這種人接手吧。太好笑了，對吧?

My love of music was nurtured in jazz ensembles and high school jazz bands. Perhaps the musical highlight of my life so far came when I quite literally took my entire high school orchestra on my shoulders. Now there's a job you'd never expect someone like me to take in hand. Reeediculous, right?

當時我們的音樂老師因為健康問題不能參加彩排，所以我自告奮勇?lián)芜@個60人樂團的指揮。我知道所有要演奏的曲子，于是便站到龐大的樂手群之前，擺動肩膀來指揮他們。我敢說，他們那天的表演真是好得不像話。

Well, our music teacher was having health problems, and she couldn't make our rehearsals, so I volunteered to be the conductor for our sixty-piece orchestra. I knew all the songs we were playing, so I stood in front of our huge group of student musicians and led them by waving my shoulders around. I'll go out on a limb here and say that they sounded ridiculously good that day.