 This is a monthly column helping us to get to know our friends and members in a deeper way. We thank Monte High for taking the time to do these in-depth interviews for us. The theme of this story is music. Music is in the protagonist’s blood – it pulses through her heart and punctuates the rhythm of her days. From her core, the music plays. It moves her body with an uncommon grace and fills her mind with melody. Her soul sings. Amandalin. Amanda. Mandy. She truly has no preference. She is called by all three names within her family. She says she’ll answer to almost anything. Hey, choir director lady! Amandalin (a-mandolin) is a vibrant musical instrument. So, for the purpose of this article, the story calls out, sweetly, for Amandalin. Amandalin July Hunter was born on December 29, 1994, at St. Mary’s Hospital. The branches of her ancestral tree are far-reaching. Grandma Iva always said that Dad’s side of the family was mostly Irish. (However, Dad’s recent DNA test showed that, although the more recent history may be Irish, the ancestry is more evenly distributed between England, Scotland and Ireland.) This is where Fionna’s red hair comes from – her great-grandmother had red hair. Amandalin’s maternal side of the family hails from Japan. Grandma Helen was first-generation born in America. Amandalin didn’t grow up with many cultural traditions. Mostly just some yummy food cooked up with her mother and her mother’s sisters. Grandma always made sushi on New Year’s because that is a Japanese tradition. Amandalin, with a wink and a smile – “there is an old proverb that says – whatever you do on New Year’s Day, you will be doing for the remainder of the entire year. So, we always tried to have our cooking and cleaning done before New Year’s Day, so that we would not be cooking and cleaning all year long.” Her parents were not church people – religion and spirituality were not discussed within the family and were not a part of Amandalin’s upbringing. Dad’s name is Jim and Mom’s name is Jo but she goes by Ducky – yet they’ve always simply been Mom and Dad to Amandalin. When Mom and Dad were working, her grandma Helen would watch her. Grandma was amazingly kind and super witty. Amandalin also spent a lot of time in Loma with her aunt Mary. She was fascinated with the Dinosaur Museum. Family has always been a central part of Amandalin’s life. Her grandparents have passed away, yet her parents and several aunts and uncles still live in the area. Amandalin grew up as an only child, in a home full of art. Her grandfather was a painter: his creative work lived on the walls. Her father and her uncle were musicians: song rippled and swayed throughout the household. Her dad played piano and guitar – and bass guitar in the Hunter Brothers band. Her uncle, Dave Hunter, played guitar in the band, and is still one of the best guitar players Amandalin has ever met in person. Amandalin was always involved in music, starting with the piano at preschool age, and then dance a few years later. She studied ballet until she was 16. She was kind of a loner and did not enjoy school – except for the music classes. Amandalin was very shy. She wouldn’t sing with anyone. She would have her dad tune her guitar, and then take it back into her room and shut herself in for hours. Gradually, after much encouragement, her family convinced her to start playing and singing along with them. Amandalin started writing songs when she was 12 years old. It was also about this time, seventh grade, when her dad and uncle talked her into performing in a public place. She opened up for the Hunter Brothers Band at a coffee shop in the Redlands. She did not anticipate how stressful – and exciting it would be. And, until this performance, Amandalin did not realize how awe-inspiring the relationship between audience and performer can be. She experienced deeply the dynamic connection, the flow of energy between audience and performer. A family friend actually cried because she was so touched by of the beauty of Amandalin’s song. After this performance, Mandy began to understand the power of her gift – the gift of music that she receives, the gift of music that she gives – the interplay between audience and performer. The gift of song. In her heart, Amandalin has always known that music is the love of her life. Yet, in sophomore choir she met a music teacher named Marcia Kuhlman who greatly impacted her musical world. Marcia taught her professionalism. She helped Amandalin to see her musical performance as a craft. A work of art, yes; yet, also a set of many skills that can be broken down and practiced to improve craftsmanship and create an even more beautiful work of art. When Amandalin was 17, she got to meet and open a show for the YouTube sensation Danielle Ate the Sandwich, a folk artist that she admires. Marcia encouraged Amandalin to apply for entrance into the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. She was accepted on scholarship. Amandalin introduced herself to the Atlantic Ocean; she discovered big city life. She also encountered The Big Blizzards and the city shutting down after the bombing at the marathon. Amandalin learned a great deal at Berklee – everything from vocal jazz to music history. She also had magnificent experiences. She sang first soprano in a choir that performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It was an awesome experience to perform in front of a sold-out audience in her dream theater. She also performed in the Boston Opera House. Yet, Amandalin began to feel homesick, a very real and growing pain in the pit of her stomach. On top of everything else, the Boston Marathon bombing seemed to always be lingering in the back of her mind. It shook up the entire city of Boston. Amandalin needed her family. So, after completing three years of coursework she withdrew from Berklee and returned home to Grand Junction. Song still flows through every aspect of Amandalin’s life. She enjoys working with the wonderful folks in the UUCGV choir, helping them sing like angels, lifting the heart of the congregation. Amandalin also teaches voice lessons. She continues to work on her music, writing songs, practicing and performing. She has also begun to further empower herself by studying music production. Amandalin has had bad experiences with producers in her past. It would be fulfilling to work with young artists, and present them with a high quality product. Amandalin stopped dancing when she was 16 years old; but, rediscovered her passion for dance as an adult. She doesn’t practice ballet anymore – her new devotion is EDM – electronic dance music. For those of you who were fortunate to see Wendy’s July 14 sermon on “Frisson”, recall the video that showed how musical vibrations create geometrical patterns on water. The music playing in this video fits within the genre of EDM. Amandalin’s devotion includes community. The EDM community refers to itself as PLUR – which stands for peace, love, unity and respect. Dance as connection, with those experiencing the beat alongside you, yet also a deeper, more profound connection with the center of your being. When you allow the music to touch your center, allow the music to move your body, it awakens your true self. Dance can put you in touch with the essence that is your true self and, paradoxically, also much greater than your self. Dance into the awareness of your connection to the earth, the earth’s connection to the sun, the sun’s connection to the universe… God? Amandalin also fills up her days with workouts at the gym, fun concerts with her boyfriend Hunter, drawing and painting, supporting her artist friends, and just hanging with her family. And though she doesn’t often have time, she enjoys playing video games, which she thinks do not deserve the bad rap that they often get. Saving the best for last, Amandalin has a new joy in her life. On August 5, 2017, her daughter Fionna was born, also at St. Mary’s Hospital. Amandalin cherishes her time with Fionna. Fionna is at the age where she is beginning to get a mind of her own. No is now part of her understanding. Sunday last, Fionna grabbed Amandalin’s hand and led her all around the congregation. One of Fionna’s favorite activities is reading. Her favorite book is Time for Bed Elmo, which includes the lyrics to You Are My Sunshine. Amandalin doesn’t merely read this book to Fionna – she sings it! Life goes on… in endless song…  Comments are closed.
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