Music I Am #1 – Ruth Hertz Weber, composer
- Music I Am
- No Comments
1. The moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician:
From the time I was 4 my mom would sit me on the piano bench with her and we would play and sing songs together. It made me so happy and I knew that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.
2. An important skill for a career in music that does not have anything to do with an instrument or making music:
I think the most important skill you can cultivate is maintaining positivity! People you meet, collaborate with, and perform for are going to feel this from you and it is contagious! Once you get in the habit of maintaining a positive attitude it starts becoming automatic.
3. Two ways you stay motivated:
I like listening to all types of music, and many times I listen to a genre that I am not familiar with so I can get new ideas and try and use those musical ideas in my own style of music. Hearing all these new types of music gets me interested in creating!
4. Latest album or recording project:
My daughter and I released a new single a few months ago called The Music to My Life.
4a. What inspired it?
I was inspired to write a song with a new collaborator, Mike Greenly, when he mentioned to me how devastated he was at the passing of his husband, a very famous D.J during the disco era. He called him, “The Music to his words.” I suggested we write a song about that and dedicate it to his memory. We ended up writing, “The Music to My Life,” and dedicating it to anyone who has lost a soulmate or someone they loved very deeply.
4b. Who’s on it?
I did the arranging on this single and my daughter, Emilia Lopez-Yañez was the featured vocalist on the song.
5. How do you discover new music?
I discover new music in many different ways. I find classical music that I enjoy by attending concerts and listening to recommendations of musician friends, and I find other types of music I like by searching streaming sites like Spotify or youtube.
6. One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:
I am very inspired by the singer/songwriter Jeff Blumenkrantz. He is an actor and singer/songwriter. His songs have such insight and depth in their lyrics and have amazing harmonies underneath them that illustrate the text really well. As far as a dead musician that I think deserves more attention I would have to say my late songwriting teacher Jack Segal. Jack wrote many songs which became hits back in the day, and also that appeared in movies like Star Trek, but they have kind of disappeared now. He had a group of young songwriters that he taught and mentored, and that I was fortunate to be a part of. Many of those writers are very successful now and carry on his legacy. His songs are still very relevant today and are very worth checking out!
Ruth Hertz Weber
