Singing Through Life

by Michael Goler

I am a new member of the board for The Music Settlement, and I’m also a past student here. I took guitar lessons, classical guitar, and voice lessons back in the late sixties here at The Music Settlement.

Music is important to me because music is basically a part of everybody in my family—with the exception of my father who just managed to listen to everything! My mother has taught piano almost her entire life—the last seventy years. I’ve taken violin lessons, and then I switched to guitar, classical guitar, which I enjoyed. Then I took voice lessons here in late high school, when I started singing with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. I’ve been involved with music my entire life, and I always enjoyed making music when I was playing those instruments, and particularly when I was singing with the orchestra.

Since around third grade, I had a stutter. It always interested me that when you’re singing, you don’t stutter. Whether it has to do with breath control or just you’re distracted out of the moment, sort of out of time sequence, and you just don’t focus on that. So with music, I can just sing through life and never stutter.

The Music Settlement has a long history of engaging the community. Everybody—from wherever they come from and whatever their particular capacities are—can come here. They can learn, they can enjoy music, and they can help make that a part of their lives, which can only help improve how they get through the day and find a way that they can emote and enjoy life and succeed.

Share Your Music Story

We all need stories that move us. To help others recall their own stories and inspire them to share those stories. We need stories to invite others into our community of people transformed by the power of music. What is your music story? How has music changed you?

Share Your Music Story