From the halls of Hoover High to holiday playlists, alumna and talented musician Jo Davidson released a second Christmas album, “Songs of Christmas,” in October on various music streaming platforms. From the inspiration of love and family tradition to healing and good energy after the horrendous attacks on the World Trade Center, Davidson aimed to heal those around her with her first album [released 2002], “Merry Christmas and Happy New York.”
Her second album was no different. As 2024 was a “turbulent year,” she hoped to spread and inflict peace through her calming, elegant instrumental Christmas album. Davidson has published multiple incredible albums featuring various artistic moods and tones of beautifully composed tracks. This most recent Christmas album taps into the many feelings the holidays bring to families everywhere. Davidson showcased the nostalgia, grief and joy Christmas may bring, all felt internally and often suppressed. With memories of lost loved ones, appreciation for current friendships and treasured family time.
“Christmas music brings up feelings of nostalgia, childhood memories and, for me, memories of wonderful holidays with my parents, my three sisters, grandparents and even great-grandparents,” she said. “I miss my father, Paul Davidson every single day. He died in 2018. And I miss my grandparents. They were wonderful.”
Composing and creating music is not challenging for Davidson, as the tunes flow from her mind to her fingertips. Being the musical talent she is, she could play all of the piano tracks on her recent album without prior composition or arrangement. The challenging part was not playing, but simply choosing the cover that captured the feelings and nostalgia her music inflicts.
“Another emotional moment was in choosing the cover,” Davidson said. “I considered so many different ideas, but in the end, followed my heart which is always the best way.”
Growing up in North Canton, Davidson created many memories and lifelong experiences. Her album cover is an old photograph she once took in the backyard of her family home, which her mother recently moved out of. Reminiscing on her childhood home and the Christmas memories created there, she was inclined to showcase the picture after such a challenging year.
“My mother recently moved out of the home that has been in our family for 56 years,” she said. “It has always been home to me, so saying goodbye has not been easy. The cover of the album is a picture I took of our backyard one year during a snowstorm. It means a lot to me to feature it on this album during such a life-changing year.”
Getting to where Davidson is now is no easy task, but one that requires hard work, dedication and drive. During her time at Hoover, she had a piano teacher, Ms. Arlene Shafer, who influenced and motivated her greatly.
“The biggest influence on me as far as teachers go, was my piano teacher, Arlene Shafer,” she said. “She didn’t compose music like I did, but she gave me a solid classical foundation and believed in me.”
Once the foundation was laid and a tone was established, Davidson created her path to greatness. The journey she took and continues to follow touches on each human emotion. From nostalgic memories to anxiety-easing tunes, Davidson is an artist and influencer.
The art that Davidson partakes in is one of strong dedication and trial and error. There is no one path to take, but a journey of twists and turns, forks in the road and unavoidable loss. Take losses as wins of knowing what does not work. Take failures as gains for knowing what step to take next.
“My advice would be to work on your craft and always keep learning,” she said. “Network and reach out to people you want to collaborate with or learn from. Be curious and open to new points of view and new experiences. Expect rejection, because there will be a lot of it.”
