Anndrea 's
Music History*
Welcome!
This is the history of: Anndrea, in the arts. HER WALK IN LIFE.
Anndrea is a true composer. Her top and best song that she has ever composed is entitled "Yanni". She was filmed in her first music DVD/video also entitled "Yanni". You can watch this video on youtube. Just type in Anndrea and Yanni on the youtube search and it should bring the video up with no problem.
~~~ She grew up in a small town centered in the middle of the state of Utah, called Salina. A place where music has a phenomenol history. Her Great Great Grandfather Neil C. Rasmussen settled the sugar beet and salt-mine town, yet presently known for its coal mining and trucking businesses. She presently resides in the state of Utah.
*** Throughout her life, she's heard, sang, danced and performed music. Her favorite and most enchanting instrument to play is the Piano. She especially loves to play instrumental music on the Digital Piano.
*** At the age of 3, Anndrea's mother bought a Metropolitan upright piano from a peddler passing by the town. Often she'd watch her mother play the piano and register the connection of the keys with the sounds coming from the piano. Also, she watched her Grandmother conduct and perform in local gatherings, including a women's choir that Anndrea's Mom participated in. Listening and watching these two musically talented ladies, Anndrea began to develop her own talent.
***At the age of 5, Anndrea's mother arranged for Anndrea, her older brother and her little sister, to perform in a local Christmas program. There, with her siblings, they sang "Frosty the Snowman". Anndrea remembers this moment as the time she felt happy and comfortable in front of an audience. What a coincidence! Unbelievable! At the time, she was scared of Santa Claus.
***Several months later, the time of the Bicentennial Celebration, Kathy Rasmussen, Anndrea's mom, composed a song entitled, "Land of Freedom". At that time in 1976, Anndrea was six years of age. A year she says, "I will never forget! I came home from school one day and was excited to see my Mother flying an off-white paper, with pencil markings all over it, high up in the air. My Mom said, 'I wrote a song! I wrote a song!' Excitement tickled my tummy, too. My Mom had written a song about people living in a land of freedom." Anndrea realized people could write out those notes she'd often seen in the piano book and church hymn books. She so much wanted to write and play the music she heard, too.
***Throughout her childhood and extremely-joyful-youth, Anndrea learned to play the piano where she began to register a connection of the piano keys with the actual sounds coming from the piano. She recalls trying to teach herself how to play the piano. Especially on the days her mom taught piano lessons. Anndrea would peek around the corner in the hallway watching other piano students learn. She learned with anticipation. With 5 sibilings in her family, Anndrea being the oldest girl, her mom didn't have all the precious time in the world to teach her piano like other students. This happened indeed, with 2 brothers and 3 sisters in the home.
***Anndrea recalls her father being a great figure in her life. He was the one who encouraged her to be what she wanted to be. He told her that if she would practice one hour every day, she'd earn her own rewards. (She practiced three). He said, "Never give up. Never stop doing what you are doing, because one day, people will look up to you. Never stop practicing the piano. You are just at the peak and you have so much to learn." He said this afterwhich Anndrea had already won the JR Miss Horizon contest in 1981. A time when she competed with 15 other girls for the crown, and she won. She says, "I have Beethoven to thank for that. If it wasn't for his composition 'Fur Elise', I wouldn't have been able to play such vibrant and happy music. I was only 11 years old (several weeks shy of turning 12 yrs old)."
***Anndrea recollects undesired peer presure and ridicule from classmates who tried to slow her down from succeeding in life. She had much artistic talent. She liked to draw, paint, color, write creative stories, and perform in gymnastics. There were many 1st place ribbons, medals and trophies she earned. "Isn't it exciting to think I had honestly won nothing but blue ribbons and gold medals in gymnastics, but I had to stop and think. For a year, my hands had not played the piano in such a way that they did when I practiced three hours of piano straight. It was a feeling of sadness, gloomy dispair. I didn't want to be like the other girls. I wanted to continue to do what I loved to do best."
***One day after middle-school had let out, Anndrea walked straight home. It was a clear Fall afternoon, when Anndrea, with enthusiasm, walked up the back- porch steps to her yellow and brown, cascade, childhood home. She opened the back door and called out to her mom, "Mom, I don't want to do Gymnastics anymore. I want to take piano lessons from someone for the first time!" To her surprise Anndrea's mom agreed and immediately made arrangements. Anndrea remembers two wonderful teachers (although she still considers her Mom her first), that taught her piano the next five years of her youth. In fact, one piano teacher composed music and was her best confidant throughout her high school years.
***"It was most fun, playing the piano with my older brother, Karl. We performed at many local events, playing duets. I especially remember playing at Mrs. Compton's refervished house that once was a church in Monroe, Utah. Her Grand Piano was longer than my Mom's white Yamaha grand. The sound echoed up the vaulted ceilings in a way I have had my own home constructed, today. The sound reminds me of a person's mouth. The mouth inside, is much likened to a piano playing in a room with a vaulted ceiling. Oh how the sound projects beautifully. In middle school, I also remember playing 'Do You Know Where You're Going To' at graduation while my classmates sang. In high school I recollect the same thing. I played our class graduating song. Mom and Dad still have the video of my classmates singing, while I play, 'Through the Years' (a Kenny Rogers Song). Those memories never fade away."
***Anndrea also remembers performing in musicals and plays during her middle school and high school days. Her favorite musical was Oklahoma! She sang and acted as the leading part, Ado Annie. She won all state Superior medals for Mono-Acts, Duo-Scenes. The mono-acts were written as her own original work. The top of her list of theatrical performaces was "Infanta", a play about a princess who feels complete love for a hunchback. You can guess who the princess was. She soon became Drama Sterling Scholar her Senior year at North Sevier High School in 1987-88. With these and many more artistic experiences, Anndrea has shown her love for performing arts, especially music.
***Throughout the past 23 years, she has participated in ward and stake choirs, played piano in every calling possible at church and extremely enjoys it. Her most delightful and memorable moment was performing with the World Church Choir that appeared LIVE on the KBYU local PBS station. This year, Anndrea performed a concert at the Copper Park in Magna, UT on a nice sunny July evening, in 2004 (July 11th to be exact). All the songs are her original work, except for the song "Land of Freedom", written by her mom. Anndrea has arranged this song into 4 different variations. On another occassion, she played on a rained out day at the Night Out Against Crime in Magna, learning a great booking lesson in life, but loved seeing interested musicians throughout the show. You can see Anndrea in future concerts .
(c)(p)2003-12 Anndrea
Anndrea: Biography
Anndrea is a true composer. Her top and best song that she has ever composed is entitled "Yanni". She was filmed in her first music DVD/video also entitled "Yanni". You can watch this video on youtube. Just type in Anndrea and Yanni on the youtube search and it should bring the video up with no problem.