Programs and their value

I'm in the process of writing a presentation about the various piano programs that are out there and they all have different attributes. I'm in the process of writing a magazine article too. As soon as they are more fleshed out I'll share them with you. The students coming back have amazing stories to tell, but there is only so much writing time. I'm almost ready to share oodles with you. Peace

An Uncommon Sight?

Do you know if Bookmobiles still run in your area? I think this is such a great idea, yet I didn't know that our county still had one! There it was, out and about today; it was such a treat to see people buzzing in and around it too.

I used to get on our local bookmobile and ask the driver whether he could let me stay on and ride and read. He would always say no. (big surprise, huh?) Nowadays, I would be car-sick, like the student who told me tonight that less than an hour into their two week camper ride across the country, he got sick in the camper. Twice. Needless to say, the trip was not a highlight of his summer.

I've never ridden across the country in a large RV. I don't know whether I'd get motion sickness or not. The library is less than three miles from my home, and I go there weekly. At the moment I'm reading "Grand Obsession", about a middle aged woman who decides she has always been a pianist in her heart, and sets about buying an instrument. It seems similar in language to Noah Adams' "Piano Lessons". So far, I'm not enthused about the storyline, but perhaps it gets better. I'm also reading Jodi Piccoult's "My Sister's Keeper" and "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle".
What are you reading right now?

The Damaged Pond

Our pond on July 28, 2009


Our pond on September 7, 2009


Muskrats are the possible cause of our pond's water disappearing, believe it or not. The animals are new in the area over the last few years. According to the city's park department, they have damaged the clay lining of the pond, which allowed water to seep slowly away.

I have been noticing the decreased water but blaming drought like conditions here.

In the meantime, the park department has come in and cut down all the brush, the young trees, and the rushes, and drained more of the water. They will be repairing the clay liner. Then rains and winter snows will fill our beauty back to its lush self. It will be interesting to watch.

Many of my piano families walk this pond while a child has lessons. You can make it from my house around the trail and back in 22-27 minutes, depending on your walking speed and whether there are ducklings, goslings, or frogs to investigate. My hope is that all these things return. The big change in their habitat makes me wonder where did they go for now?

A Word on Justice

Yesterday, Mouse wrote a blog "J is for justice". Dictionary.com to the rescue says, "Justice: to act or treat justly or fairly." I posted a comment yesterday on her site that said:

"You reminded me of one of my favorite quotes today: Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. Merle (another blogger) said that justice follows easily when human dignity is our yardstick. That word, "easy" sticks in my throat. Did you know that the US spends more on bird food than the homeless? My mom says that's because birds are pretty and the homeless don't fly away. May justice start at my house, teaching my children to love mercy and walk humbly..."

I've been thinking about this ever since. In my opinion, justice might be obvious, but still, it ain't easy. When I was on dictionary.com, there were two idioms for justice. The other one was "Bring To Justice-to cause to come before a court for trial or to receive punishment for one's misdeeds: 'The murderer was brought to justice'." Perhaps when some of us are discussing justice, minds go toward this end of justice. Feeling righteous, they intend to issue punishment for a misdeed.

I am speaking of the justice from the beginning of this post, to treat fairly. Justice is such an interesting word and I've come to believe how you see Justice with a capital J depends on where you're standing, which side of it you're on. Are you responsible for giving it, or do you hope to receive it? Ever since seeing "The Golden Child", (Eddie Murphy, 1986), I believe that "justice has survived, while compassion died". "Les Miz" is another good example of justice being twisted to do harm.

But back to the quote from yesterday. The American Birding Association states that over 63 million Americans feed wild birds at home, resulting in $2.5 billion spent on bird seed, feeders, baths and nesting boxes, (US Dept. Interior 1993 survey).

Answering the question about how much the federal government spends on homelessness should be as simple as summing the total expenditures for homeless assistance programs. Homeless programs, however, do not fit neatly into one federal agency; instead they are spread across several, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Education (ED), and the Department of Labor (DOL). Perhaps this is part of the problem?

The Union Gospel Mission used $209 million in 2004 as its basis for the statement that I repeated on Mouse's site. This is an order of magnitude off: a warning sign that we're not even in the ballpark for addressing this issue. When I received this data in 2004, our household stopped buying birdseed, but left the bird feeders on our deck as a visual reminder that brothers and sisters are sleeping outside tonight. It is also visible from the desk where we pay bills.

Again, I hope that justice, treating others fairly, starts at my house, teaching my children and perhaps the occasional student to love mercy and walk humbly.

First Days

I love my job. That is a statement that I have said many times on this journey, and one I am coming to realize many of my friends and family can not say. For this I am extremely grateful for my own bliss, and frowning in contemplation for my co-lifers.

Let me relate just a few sweet morsels of my first day back Thursday.

The Beethoven 2nd movement of the Pathetique Sonata, Andante Cantabile, is gorgeous even when it's not ready yet. There is so much to learn in this piece! And how fun to hear someone who wants to learn it.


"I can't wait to play piano!", said my next student, 2nd grader, with a little Pebbles like ponytail near the top of her head. "I peeked at the first few songs from my older sister's beginning books already. Want to hear me play?" Why yes, yes I do! We learned about which end plays low notes versus high notes, we learned beginning hand position, where the bench should go, said the musical alphabet, forward and backward around the keyboard. We even got started on the difference between quarter notes and half notes in thirty minutes. She actually squealed in delight at getting her first sticker. The bright blue eyes observed every detail.

"Mrs. Wolf, Mrs. Wolf, I wore my Twinkle Toe shoes, just for you! Come to the top of the stairs and see them before I take them off!" My next student has just had one year of piano and went to first grade this year. Her pink Keds had been bedazzled by rhinestones on the top one inch of the toe. She returned with big smiles and lots of stories. I lent her one of my CDs of someone playing the songs from one of her books, and she looked at me wide-eyed and said, "Wow! That means my songs must be famous!" Of course they are! It will give her an idea of tempo and steadiness that we lost in August.

When I opened the door to greet the next student, she and her mother were standing there with a guffawed look on their faces. "Tell her what you told me", said the mom. "Well, I overheard you working with the last student, and well, like, I've never heard laughter in a music lesson before". This will be an amazing transfer student.

Let's get started; there's music in the air.

Another Shadow

When I lived in New England, they were called Package Stores, but in Minnesota "Liquor Stores" are often owned by the city. Some independent stores exist, but many times the town makes a lot of money selling alcohol. Liquor stores in Minnesota are not open on Sunday. I used to be amazed, once or twice I was annoyed, and today I don't much care about this. I guess it's the luxury of having enough money now to keep a little extra booze around the house.

You will not find alcohol in gas stations or grocery stores here. Liquor is a limited commodity compared to other areas I have lived. If you were needy for a bottle of wine or beer, you could drive to Wisconsin and purchase some there any day of the week, and more than just 10 a.m.-10 p.m. But I just heard of a great little trick if you were desperate in this great state on a Sunday. I have lived here most of my life and even worked in bars and restaurants but did not know this.

Let's say you're having a Sunday night dinner party and, gasp, forgot the wine. Go into a restaurant and order your bottle of wine. The establishment must uncork the bottle. They can present the cork and give a person a taste. And then you may take it as a leftover! Put the cork back in, and be on your way! It will need to be transported in the trunk so bring something to keep it upright.

You may not do this with beer or hard liquor to the best of my knowledge. It is bending some arcane rule to suit the letter of the law. So enjoy a Sunday cocktail or glass of vino if you can; I hope if you lived here that you planned ahead.

I was flabbergasted to see this in action last time we were out to dinner. And the bartender didn't blink an eye.

Shadows

My posts will continue to be sporadic; I don't have students until next week. In the meantime, I'll share whatever strikes me, and today it was the "stripe" of the lawn near my office. The shadows are one of the first glimpses of the season changing for me. The sun in Minnesota starts to hang a little lower in the sky, and I shut the drapes earlier in the evening. We have had some cool overnights too, needing a jacket to sit on the deck. The public schools are hosting their "back to school" jamborees.
Students get their schedules,
find their lockers and try combinations,
shop for rulers and erasers. What's a protractor?
Parents buy tennis shoes and
put money in lunch accounts,
write more checks than they have written all summer. What's a tech. ed. fee?
Tensions are mounting for everyone-
are my friends in my class,
are my teachers nice,
what will this year hold?
Will my child do well,
will he fit in,
what will this year hold?

And the shadows leak slowly toward the sidewalk.