So this last week has been interesting... I talked about the Talent Show and the Guitar Performance in my last post, both went well. I need to find a way to record some of my songs... Except we have no digital video camera. And no sound recording stuff either. Oh well... We're doing an Environmental Summit in Spanish, that's going well... We're playing Assassin at school. If you don't know what that is, you can find it here... or our wikispace here. You can only play if you go to Midvale, cause that's where it takes place... My brain feels melted. So that's my week.

 Oh, wow, were do I start? I've been getting really into music lately. Listening a lot more to music that I've liked sorta in the back of my head and never really bothered to actively listen to. I"ve got a  playlist of such songs playing right now, and I think I'm going to post each new song as it comes on. :D (Hey, Soul Sister. Daniel's Song!) Ah, crap, my headphone's are wigging out... Rearranging the cords... Okay, that took longer then I would've liked, but oh well. (Now we're on to the next song... You Belong With Me. Athena's Song!) Okay, quick thing on this song, I LOVE the music video for this song... I was watching it... and I was like "YES! YES! YES! This is how it should be! I especially like that at the end they're at prom, and the girlfriend is in this bizzare dress that's like totally immodest, and Taylor walks in wearing this really pretty modest dress, and he chooses her over his girlfriend. :D :D :D

Okay, then... Guitar class! We had our school performance, which only had three songs, but I sung for "This Train". It was... interesting. (I sang it an octave too low.) (Best Days of Your Life) And I'm actually working on some homework while I do this... (Why? I should just do one... I dunno. Thanks for the Memories) I've been working on figuring out new things on my guitar, including trying to play some of my songs I wrote a while ago and could never figure out. I kinda want an Electric Guitar, just because there are some things that you can't do with an acoustic. Electrics make a very unique sound... (Apologize) (100 Years)

Wednesday we are having our Combined YM/YW Talent Show. I'm going to perform a song I wrote called "Sky" (I'll post the lyrics sometime...) Robby want's me to play the guitar for him while he sings "Fireflies", so I'm trying to create an arrangement of that for him... Thursday is our Guitar concert, and I tried out for a solo for that and got it, so I will be singing "Sky" there too. (Don't Stop Believing - Sam Tsui Version) Have you ever listened to Sam Tsui? He's really good. I really like him. For those of you who don't know, my new hero is Adam Young. Not only do I love his music (He's more commonly known as Owl City.) But with his first few albums, he did all the music himself. So he's good at singing, keyboard, guitar, and music editing. I so wish I had his talent.

Now on to Choir! Our Rock Concert is coming along. A week ago was Solos week, where we went through all the songs and whoever wanted a solo could try out. I tried out for almost all of them, just to try out and see what I could do. And I ended up getting the solo for "Here, There, and Everywhere" by the Beatles. Mr. Smith said I did amazing at that solo. It wasn't actually in my top three that I wanted, but it was the one I did the best according to him. I'm really excited for this concert. Today was our first combined rehearsal, because for the concert we'll be combined with mixed choir and Mount Jordan Middles' two choirs. (Time After Time - Quietdrive Version) And we'll be playing with a live band. Today's rehearsal was a bit of a... disaster. Our combined choir is HUGE. We couldn't all fit on the stage, our little group was actually right off the stage behind the curtains. And (Mr. Smith said this was just because the Mt. Jordan sound system sucks) none of the soloist could even hear themselves. I'm like I'm singing right into the mic, but I can't hear myself sing... The band was really loud. :P But they're really cool. I wish I had as much talent as them. (American Ride) Also, for a while me, Cory, Jason, and Brandon, would sit in the back, and at the end of "Hey Jude" wear they go "Na na na na" we were all singing background lines that we had made up. So Mr. Smith mentioned that he might like to have some people doing random solos during that part, so the four of us went to him and showed him what we'd put together, and he told us we could do that. So now I guess I'm doing two solos! That concert will be next Thursday, the 27th, at 7 at Midvale Middle School. (Crush)

Ha ha! Another Funny Story (Which might clear up some things if this ends up happening weird...)(If Today Was Your Last Day) So While Mount Jordan were doing the songs that only they are doing, we we're sitting in the audience, and I had Tesya sitting next to me, and Tyler on the other side of her. Tyler, being his normal self, was annoying Tesya to no end. I, also being my normal self, was attempting to defend her from him. (Hmm... I do that a lot with Ty...) (Savior - Adam Young Remix) So at this one point I reached around her to punch him in the arm, and right at that point Tesya turns to me and goes "Look! Smile!" And I turn and smile right in time for Mrs. Otto to take our picture... with my arm behind her reaching towards Ty... So it totally looks like I have my arm around her. :P Yeah... I think that yearbook pictures were already due though... So that picture's not going anywhere. (Crap, why do I feel like I just jinxed myself?) (February Air)

So, I think that's all I've got right now... I love music. I've been feeling more and more involved in my music. It's definately something I want to do. I want to be better at guitar and piano and learn to sing better. (Vanilla Twilight)

So yesterday was the talent show. I was in it. I played my guitar and sang Make My Day. I was sitting there before it started, talking to Hannah and Lindsey, and Lexi goes "Jarom?" "What?" "You're shaking." "What?" "Hold your hand flat." So I did, and sure enough, I was shaking...

(Thanks to Lexi for the pictures.)

I did some editing to get this. I thought it looked pretty nice.

So everyone seemed to like it, I got a lot of people that told me it was good and they liked the song. So it was good. I wish I had some better pictures. But it's hard to take pictures in that Auditorium.

Finishing up my Qs, I was thinking about the poetic lyric thing I mentioned a while back. I thought I might do it again. This is one of my favorite songs- More, by Kenneth Cope. I basically took his words, and alligned them, adding punctuation, all to maximize the meaning of the words. Enjoy.

More Steady, More Sure.
More Trusted, More Pure.
Some say it doesn't matter.

More trained and more aware,
More aim to get me there.
I climb this far,
You raise the bar!
You want my heart.

More Fierce Desire
To Stand against the wind!
More Blazing Fire
When Dark is closing in!
A more love-inspired change within,
So there's more and more of me to give.

More words to learn and know,
More etched upon my soul.
Some say it doesn't matter.

More Trite,
More True.
Less me,
And much more You.
I stretch this Tall!
You sound the Call!
You want my All.

More Fierce Desire
To stand against the wind!
More Blazing Fire
When Dark is closing in!
A more love-inspired change within.
You keep
Reaching out, you're calling out to me!

For more strength in shoulders,
To Face the War with sin!
More wise and bolder,
To Save the Souls of men!
A more Faithful Soldier to the end!
You want more and more of me to give.

More and more of me to give.
More, More,
More and more of me to give!

More Love!
More Light!
More Purpose!
More Serve with all my Might!
I need more Hope!
More Faith!
More Patience,
Each day I Pray for More,
More and more of me to give!

More Fire!
More Zeal!
More Spirit,
To know what's real!
More courage!
More joy!
More!
More and more of me, to give!

More Grateful!
More True!
More Humble
To trust,
And do you call?
I hear!
I walk the path that's set in stone,
My heart is fixed on getting home!
And what on earth could ever matter more?

More and more of me, to give.
More.

I sent the tune of Sometimes I Wonder to Jeremiah, and he created this arrangement. For those of you who don't know, I wrote the basic tune (And lyrics, but you can hear those) And Jeremiah wrote the acompaniment and created this sound file. Isn't it beautiful? If that doesn't work... go here... http://www.archive.org/details/SometimesIWonder

Here's to Jeremiah!

This is my own picture from seventh grade...

And this is one he sent me... but it's a little too dark. Not the best picture. (No offence, of course.)

You are TOTAL AWESOMENESS. (Despite what Sam says about some girl in Morgan.) Thanks for being such an awesome friend! You're always great, funny, random, and someone I can trust. I hope you know you can trust me.

Have you ever stopped to think, really think, about the words to these Christmas songs? Have you ever taken away the pretty music and just thought about the pure poetry of the lyrics? I've been doing it lately, and the words just keep hitting me, impacting me. Why is it that I find these poetic words more meaningful then others? I'm not quite sure. But here's a few Christmas songs to think about. Read the poems, and forget the music for a moment.

O Come, all ye faithful!
Joyful, and Triumphant!
O Come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels!
O come let us adore him,
Christ, the Lord!

God rest ye, Merry Gentlemen.
Let nothing you dismay.
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day!
To save us all from Satan's Power
When we had gone astray
O, tidings of comfort and joy!

Christmas Bells!
Those Christmas Bells!
Ringing through the land!
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man!

What child is this
Who, laid to rest on Mary's lap, is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
And shepherd watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ, the King!
Whom shepherds watch and angels sing:
Haste, Haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary!

Hark! how the bells, Sweet silver bells,
All seem to say, "Throw cares away!"
Christmas is here, Bringing good cheer
To young and old, Meek and the bold!
Oh how they pound, Raising the sound,
O'er hill and dale, Telling their tale!
Gaily they ring, While people sing
Songs of good cheer, "Christmas is here!"

Hey guys! I was reading Garrett's Blog, and he said he was learning a new instrument. He said he wasn't going to tell, but it was the instrument I played. So I got permission to post the answer here. I play the Guitar, and I can't wait to see how well Garrett can play once he starts learning.

I've been writing some songs, too. I can only play two of them on my guitar, but I've written 3 others. The first one is called Today. It's about living every day to the fullest and seeing every day as a great day and finding happiness in small things. The second one (I can play the first and second ones) Is called You're the One. I wrote this one as sort of a religious song, so it's written to my Heavenly Father. It's about how I am willing to dedicate myself to him. (And Aerin, if you read this, there's your answer.) The third one is called The Perfect One. I was trying to think of what to write about, and I kept thinking "It seems like most songs these days are written about a special boy or girl... but I'm only 14, so I have no one to do that about." Or something to that effect. Our minds don't usually think in words, so when I try to write what I was thinking, it always sounds funny. Anyway, then I had this genius Idea- I could write about my dream girl! So I did, and I left descriptions vague enough so that it could be almost anyone. (Aerin is the only one who's seen these songs, and when she read that one she's like "Who is this about?")

I wrote two last night. The first, I'm on Your Side, is a song I've actually had the chorus to in my head for a long time. I just finally wrote the rest of the song and put it all together. The other... well, I haven't actually chosen a title for it. It's about my Grandpa Hall, who died when I was 1 or 2. It's about how I would imagine a visit to his house, and I wrote it from the eyes of a six to eight year old. I'm trying to decide whether to call it "So Much Love" or "I couldn't wait" or something else.

Well, thanks to you guys who come and are interested in my ramblings.

P.S. Here's links to the songs. Please know that all the songs are still being worked on.

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgmjgp3z_7f28bz5hj- I Can't Wait
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgmjgp3z_7f28bz5hj- I'm On Your Side
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgmjgp3z_55q2vq79q- The Perfect One
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgmjgp3z_3gp8d8tgp - Today
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgmjgp3z_4d7wx97f7- You're the One