Biography

Melina’s bio by Melina

I’m so happy you’re reading this, thank you!

I want to tell you quickly a bit about me and how I got into doing this whole music thing that I love so much.

When I thought about what defines me I came up with this list. (If you haven’t tried this before, you should do it. It’s an interesting exercise! I’d love to hear what you come up with!)

1. Being interested in the God of the Bible
2. Being a reader
3. Being from a large, creative and old fashioned family
4. Being a traveler

Like a lot of you, I seem to have had songs in my head and heart for as long as I can remember. So much so that I didn’t realize it until recently – that songwriting was just part of me, like the color of my eyes or the way I make funny faces the moment a camera comes out.

I grew up in a small town and I loved being outside more than anything: playing Foursquare (best outdoor game ever), working in my own little garden (sweet peas and green beans were my favorite) and driving to the beach to climb the jetty rocks and look for starfish. I had one of those great childhoods that you could make a movie about, I’m thankful for that since I know there are lot of people who can’t say that but would like to.

When I was a teenager, I started teaching private piano lessons, and playing for weddings and events. I also really practiced my clarinet playing. Ha, picture the classic musical nerd with glasses and braces and you’ll conjure up an image of me at 13. I actually wanted to play in the Berlin Philharmonic Symphony but a series of mouth surgeries derailed those plans and got me focusing more on the piano and eventually, singing.

I did a lot of music things of all different sorts and sizes in my teens but it wasn’t until I had moved to London in my early 20’s that I began to see myself as a musician. I heard a singer called Zap Mama on NPR in the states one day and realized that singing is an art form, like painting or sculpture. I had always been very careless of “singing”, thinking that it wasn’t the main event but that day I gained a new appreciation for the how’s of style and how much delivery added to- or took away from - a song.

Now, through some incredible connections, I’m able to perform music around the Northwest and have people listen to my music in their cars and at home. I teamed up last year with a great producer, Jim Wolfe, out of Seattle, and he made a dream come true when he produced and co-wrote an album of original songs. It's simply titled "Melina Kastle" and you can listen to the album here and also at ITunes and on CDBaby.

I’m especially happy these days with how well the CD is selling in Japan (that is a cool story! Look back at my News section to hear that whole deal!) and thrilled when I hear from a new Japanese friend. It’s a true miracle for this small town girl!

It would be a real shame for me to leave out one area of my life that is truly fulfilling to me - teaching! I absolutely love helping people of all ages and from all different skill sets learn to play, sing, perform or write better and have more fun! I have students ranging in age from 5 to 72 and each one keeps me on my toes, learning and laughing. Sounds too cheesy to be true but it's how it is! If you are interested in taking lessons, hop on over to the contact page and shoot me a note. I'm teaching right now in Aberdeen, Washington and Olympia, Washington.

Happy day friends,

Melina