Theme Thursday - SWING

This is a style one of my students wants to learn over the summer. The best part is that they are very motivated because it's lots of practice, lots of listening, and repetition.

"It don' mean a thang if it ain't got that swang!"

Sunsets in Wisconsin, Memorial Weekend

Here are some more lovely moments in the beauty of the Midwest.

Breathe deeply.

Carpe diem

Churches on Hills

Many refer to this part of Wisconsin as the "Holy Land". On every little hill sits the most lovely church, most of them Catholic. In this first picture you can see the church in the very middle, yet miles away. In the next photo, we've arrived up at its door.
There is almost always a building very near it; it is the priest/pastor's home. The church provides it for him in many cases; he is then available 24/7 so to speak.

The homes are modest, the churches are gorgeous. Walnut pews and long aisles, stained glass depictions of saints or the stations of the cross. Making high ground holy ground is compelling as well; the farmer could always see his God from his field.

These churches now often share a priest who does one service at 8, drives and does another at 10, then drives for a noon mass in yet a third church. Or they have worked out every other week schedules because there are not enough parishioners to afford a full time person.

You can not see the cemetery of this country church from this vantage point, but it is just over the ridge. We were there for Memorial weekend and it was full of flowers, real and artificial. Most headstones in a modern cemetery are now flat on the ground so that caretakers can mow the lawn, but in this case, the headstones are proud and tall. Many use granite from the area near Montello in a burgundy tone, exactly like the granite used for Grant's tomb. There are always a few headstones that carry dates before Wisconsin became a state in 1848.

There are often babies buried and their headstones read, Baby Daughter, Lived 3 Days, for example. They didn't name her. This makes me dwell on how hard it must have been to live 150 or more years ago. And in your sorrow, you take the baby up the hill, and bury hear near the church. Then as you look from your farm, you will see her too?

Wind in Wisconsin

The music teaching business is almost completed for the school calendar year. I have filing to finish, bills to send out for summer lessons, and a two-day convention next week. I always look forward to our state conventions. (They understand me there.) Around 350 teachers of voice, piano, guitar and other instruments come together with music, guest speakers, teaching ideas, business strategies, an exhibit hall full of goodies and some convention food. We try to move it around the Twin Cities metro area so that every one is inconvenienced at some point; it only seems fair. Last year it was at the Mystic Lake Hotel and Casino, but the complaints about the smoke drove us to look for another venue.

I will be doing a presentation at the convention which I will share with you and I promise to take lots of pictures.

Until then, please let me show you more of the Midwest and our trip to Wisconsin. Since our last trip there, many more wind turbines dot the landscape near Fond Du Lac. From a distance they seem peaceful, and quite lovely. I am a big proponent of natural and renewable energy. But as we got closer, we could tell that not everyone was pleased with their presence. Billboards and signs in yards proclaimed, "Neighbors don't let neighbors put up 400 foot wind turbines". There is a heated debate that the flicker from the blades and the noise is unbearable and that the homes were here before the wind farm.

I have so many feelings about this and ultimately I don't live there, so I'm going to refrain from any statement. I will say that when I have seen wind farms in the past, they have been in more deserted rather than inhabited country areas like North Dakota, and the plains of Iowa, out of earshot. The light that flickers in this video would drive me nuts, I know. Oh yeah.

Honors Concert Regalia, Part Secondo

With all the pitfalls of 4000 people separated from their 660 children, sprinkle in nerves, an old building with very few bathrooms, and the mandatory dress code, you would think that more incidents and accidents would happen. Thankfully each year there are only minor glitches, except that one time with the tornado. Oh wait, that's another story.
Here are some of my students in their gowns, I didn't get a picture of the guys. Our lady in ice blue is backstage ready to go. They set up three rows of chairs behind the scenes and "on deck" to keep the program running smoothly. The group performs and while they are bowing the next group is already coming on stage and finding their instrument. It's a well-oiled machine.
Last year one young man came over to an usher quite pale in the face. "I need a bathroom!" She escorted him to one and become worried when he didn't come out and didn't come out. She eventually had to get a male security guard to go in and check on him. He had vomited all over himself and the bathroom! He smelled terrible, was upset and a mess. Poor fellow.
This year nerves sent a young lady in a beautiful gown over the edge and she went potty on the bench. She also went a little more when she took a bow, so there were two puddles in terrible places. Worse, the next student was already at the bench, looked down and didn't know what to do, so she panicked. She sat in it too. She cried through her piece. When she came off stage, she pointed and sobbed, and the stage crew got it all cleaned up discreetly. Most people didn't even know what happened.
Can you imagine? Your pretty dress, your big debut, your shining moment and the bench is wet? Oh yeah, the stories of concerts from behind the scenes. Do you have an embarrassing moment?

Honors Concert Regalia, Part Primo

Last Saturday Minnesota piano students performed at Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus. I love the look and feel of this auditorium, not only because it holds so many memories of my performances there, but it just feels like a musical auditorium should. Tall ceilings, detailed chandelier and wall reliefs, the seats are covered in crushed burgundy velvet. I always think that the following information should be in our recital program; alas I've been told there's no room.

Northrop Memorial Auditorium, completed in 1929, was built to hold the entire student body of the 1920's. Since then, this 4800 seat auditorium continues to fulfill its original purpose as a center for the arts and student life. From music and theatre performances to graduation ceremonies, Northrop has played a vital role in the history of the University. The inscription on the facade of Northrop was written by former Graduate School dean and University of Minnesota president Guy Stanton Ford. Capturing the mission of the University, the inscription reads: "Founded in faith that men are ennobled by understanding, Dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth, Devoted to the instruction of youth and the welfare of the state."
Could there be a better worded statement at the beginning of our annual event? I don't think so. We're still striving for just these lofty and virtuous goals.

If it were up to me, I would also include a blurb about the incredible organ housed here. One student per year wins the Young Artist in Organ and performs on it in the middle of the concert. As the organ rises from the floor of the orchestra pit, there is always a collective OOOH.

The Northrop Organ
Built in 1932-1935, the Northrop Auditorium Organ, Aeolian-Skinner Op. 892, is located above the auditorium's stage and behind the proscenium, and is played from a four-manual console located in the orchestra pit. Containing 80 independent stops and 108 ranks of pipes, the Northrop Organ is one of the finest extant examples of a late-romantic concert organ by the premier manufacturer of its era.
In 1999, the Northrop Organ received a Special Citation from the Organ Historical society. The Society's citations program has been likened to the National Register of Historic Places. The citation of the organ reflects the increased awareness of the importance of orggans of this vintage that have remained intact and tonally and technologically unaltered.

Organizing an event like this, (660 students age 7-18, separated from their parents, and they are nervous) takes a tremendous amount of patience and skill. The auditorium is divided into pink and green signs, students wear pink and green bracelets, and rows of seats are labeled by pink and green labels with each duet listed. Each child is assigned an exact seat. The rule sheets are very specific to keep track of the most minute details. There are 20 grand pianos on stage. Lifting the lids always lifts my energy level!

Here is also a picture of some of our volunteers in the green room. The gala event is staffed with teacher volunteers from around the state. This in itself is a testament to the care and importance we teachers see in this honored concert.

If you'd like pictures of this amazing building, I recommend here and here. My favorite is this one, the view from the stage! I also took a few "special" photos where only performers get to go-enjoy!

Part Secondo - a personal look, coming soon...

Planting Flowers

I'm outside for the first of what I hope to be several days in the sun. The flowers are purchased, the weeding has begun, the garden is tilled. One of the best parts of this labor for me is the chance to think deep thoughts or no thoughts at all. I come up with my best ideas in the sun and the dirt.
It's time for a new thing!