Last night, I was privileged to hear junior and senior high school choirs in their annual Christmas concert. There’s something almost magical about beautiful music. The choirs sang traditional Christmas songs with new and lively interpretations, an excerpt from one of Handel’s oratorios, and a couple of their favorites. The stirring climax came when a […]
Sep 3, 2019
A Rusty, Dusty, Relic of Yesterday
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Nothing dates a person like her repertoire of songs. My repertoire is a rusty, dusty, relic of a long ago yesterday. In my school days, both as a student and as a teacher, we began the day with singing, the Flag Salute, and the Lord’s Prayer. At Valley Center, one of the best elementary […]
Aug 18, 2019
Water Waves and Freckle Creams
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Come with me for a trip into history and delve into a 1921 issue of The Etude, Presser’s Musical Magazine. I’m not sure where I bought this magazine but it’s fascinating because it’s from a much different era of America. Woodrow Wilson was President that year; that is, until March 4 when Warren G. Harding […]
Jul 23, 2019
Soothing the Savage Beast
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This morning, a mere three cups of coffee is not clearing the cobwebs. Feeling slightly fuzzy-headed, idly, I glanced through past posts and found this one from a few years back with subtle hints for a civilized political debate. I think it might work today, too, don’t you? Some of the political discussions sound pretty […]
Jan 29, 2019
What Is That Song I Hear?
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As times change–fashions, cars, viewpoints, so does music. Music and rhythm are at the core of our very existence. Think about it–the rhythm of days and night, of seasons, the weather. Even the way we walk and talk has a certain rhythm and every voice has some sort of musical quality. I’ve read that […]
Jan 24, 2019
Stern, Thorough, Memorable
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He was stern, thorough, and I still remember him after a distance of several decades. He was a short man, fairly round with a thatch of white hair. He was born and raised in England and he spoke with a British accent. His name was Mr. Stone. He was my first piano teacher. Every week, […]
