The Right Thing

Today we hope the Health Care Bill becomes reality. In speaking to Wolfy about it, I said, "I hope we as a country do the Right Thing." What is that really? What is the Right Thing? For me the right thing is to get everyone covered. I'm ultimately a socialist. I believe that you can't really be spiritual and also believe that everyone can fend for themselves. It mystifies me, really. Why do I care about my neighbor? Somewhere deep inside I feel they are my brother. How many people would be against this if they were in need of these services? The gap of have/have nots is growing. Yet, I'm confronted again today by a person who just wants "what is his".

Here are 2 ways to look at money. One is that the money is mine-I earned it. If I am asked to give you some, I think, "What? This is my money, how much do I have to give you? I have $100 dollars and you want $10? That only leaves me with $90!"

Or: My father gave me $100. He asked me to please give my brother $10 and to keep the rest. I feel compelled to say, "he's my brother, are you sure that's all he needs?" I still have $90. $90-that was a big gift! Big difference.

Last done in 2000, the World Health organization ranking of the health systems of the world, the Unites States ranked 37th, below Costa Rica and Dominica. Our system is broken. A world superpower, we are not really caring for our people. If you want to grow old and be healthy, move to Iceland. We were 24th in Healthy Life Expectancy.

Yet, there are those who will try hard to attach their own stipulations, greed and agendas to this bill because they sense the wave of pressure riding with it. Their Right Thing is different than my Right Thing.

My studio families are deciding what is the Right Thing for their spring schedules. What would be the easy decision for many has become a very thought provoking choice for them regarding the honors concert.

Tomorrow I am taking my parents to visit my brother and his wife in Ann Arbor. Rather than take a more southerly route, I decided that the Right Thing was to help my folks to get out of town. It's a 12 hour ride. It's not a warm and sunny destination. We are going to take the train-chugga chugga woot woot! This way we can travel, with no pressure of driving through Chicago, Gary, Indiana, or potty breaks. There is food, movies, and some card playing in my future. We plan to see the campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor while we're there. Is it right to take Mom and Dad away from their doctor and travel so far? I believe they need this desperately. They haven't left their home since August, and used to be so footloose and fancy free. I think I'm doing the Right Thing. Some might disagree.

I applied once upon a time to the Ann Arbor piano graduate program. I wasn't accepted there probably because I performed terribly and was an hour late. Young kid that I was, I forgot that they are an hour ahead of my time zone! So I drove and drove but never changed my clock. Huh, oops! That bad news turned out to be the Right Thing for my career; I loved my time in Connecticut and The Hartt School of Music was a good choice for me.

How can we know what is the Right Thing, for ourselves, for the future, for health care? All I know is that what we have right now is the Wrong thing and it's time for a change for the better. Those who can not speak for themselves are hoping we do the Right Thing.

Is the Honors Concert a Prize?

The winners have been chosen for the annual state piano solo contest. The big blessing at my studio this year was that I had no alternates. Being an Alternate is the highly feared no man's land of not quite winning. An alternate waits for the winners to claim the prize of a Northrop on stage appearance. If a winner can't make the rehearsals and/or concert, the alternates are chosen, one at a time, from a list. (Students do not know what number they are on the secret list, it takes someone in the know to find out the likelihood of a call.) This ranking is done on the final contest day by the judge in their room. If you are deemed an alternate, you get a critique stamped in red indicating that you may have won. I always equate it to seeing Ed McMahon's face in my mailbox. This has been the bane of my teaching the last two years as we wait over a month to see if anyone cancels or misses the first rehearsal. Then my student might be called. My studio won outright this year! No dead zone, no maybes, they got outstanding critiques, only one didn't win!
I sent out congratulatory emails immediately and gave out the details of the honor they've been awarded. It is an opportunity to play before 4000 people in a duet, in an amazing historically significant space, with a conductor, with the other state winners on June 12. 20 grand pianos grace the stage. It is a magnum event with gala gowns and proud parents. With this duet comes rehearsals at a central location north of my studio about 45 minutes one way, in a music store warehouse. Many from around the state book hotel rooms and make weekends out of these rehearsals. This was a huge award for me as a child. We got to the big city several times, made a day of it, ate out, got a pretty long dress and shoes, went to a mall! I was so excited to win and perform in this event. I loved the idea of playing with all the other really good pianists.
Times have changed. I am starting to hear my parents' email replies to my wonderful news. "Well, we're not sure we're going to do the Honors Concert thing; we have several conflicts on Saturdays in the spring." "It's great that we won, but we did the concert last year, so we're going to take a year off." "This is expensive to buy music, drive all the way up to the music store 3 times, and twice to the U of M, buy clothes and then they charge for tickets?" "I will have to get back to you about the Northrop concert, how many rehearsals can they miss?"
Yikes! What is going on here? Who would work so hard, pay entry fees twice (to the one who thought it was expensive), win, and not take the prize? Is it indeed a prize?
Here's what I'm hearing.
1. It's time intensive. Yup, sure is. The duet needs rehearsals, with the conductor, all together, many times. This involves 4 Saturdays in the spring/early summer. We are lucky to live in the metro area. It does not involve sleeping over, or 4 hour car rides. The concert is lengthy and we can't play games on our iPhones.
2. It's about the music. We have to learn a new piece, quickly, and it's not a solo. Across the state, 600+ win, from ages 7-20. This would be the longest solo concert ever. We got to choose our solo piece, but sometimes the duets are poorly written or not in the styles students wanted.
3. It's about the money. Lessons are not cheap. Renting the warehouse and the auditorium and pianos are not cheap either, but I also think MMTA makes money on this event, which in turn is spent developing more programs to help students succeed. I consider it a "paying it forward" mentality.
4. It's under the radar of the world. There's no trophy or media hype; at least when they win other things they are mentioned in the paper. Wow. You would like a trophy for a piano event? You're right, there is little in potential scholarship money, college tuition or Nike commercials going to come from your performance.
5. It's just too much effort. Now, that one I believe. I see my families zooming to every soccer field in the county more Saturday mornings than they're home. They have no qualms about paying big dollars for grass and referees and shin guards. An away tournament once per month? No problem. So, what's the difference? I've given this some thought.

I think it comes down to the culture right now of "sports reigns supreme". The world understands and acknowledges a baseball tournament. It is not well educated on the work of a musician behind closed doors for months to prepare for 3 minutes or artistry. At this musical event, there is no blood, no shouting from the sidelines, no whistles. At the final concert, you're expected to dress up, sit quietly, with no food or beverages. Rather than beat a team for the championship, the music students work cooperatively together for a sonorous outcome. It's peaceful and loving, and potentially boring as hell for those used to bad mouthing the opponent.

There are lots of analogies I could make. But my question today is this.
Why would you try out for the varsity team, and when you make the team, you turn it down? Why did you try out?

72 birthdays

My family went to Rochester for the afternoon Sunday. It was a lovely day for a drive-warm, sunny, and spring was in the air. I had made my Dad's favorite German chocolate cake, and held it on my lap for the 70 mile car ride. My mom used to bring lemon meringue pies to her father-in-law the same way, and also about 70 miles. Jiggle, jiggle, and you wonder whether it will make it there. She had the added concern that the meringue might fall! I just hoped the cake wouldn't slide on its glass foot!

Dad looked good but said he felt weak. We had good conversation, which turned into a few games of Scattergories and Apples to Apples. Dad opened his presents. We had wrapped a few simple things just to remember the day. One of them was a tiny 2gb memory card for the picture frame we gave them at Christmas. We had opened the package and loaded 45 recent (within the year) pictures of the family. We wrapped the little memory card seven times, each in a bigger box. It was silly but the kids and Grandpa seemed to enjoy it.

When it was his 70th birthday, we wrapped 70 of 10 different items, like 70 kernels of corn, 70 nails, 70 peanuts, etc.

The hardest part of the day for me was that Mom and Dad seem so sad. It's like life has stopped them cold. I can't help them with this attitude adjustment that's needed either. I wish I could remind them that Dad isn't dead yet, that they are so lucky, that Dad is still Dad, even if he doesn't DO the things he used to do, he still IS the man, my Dad. He said he doesn't think like he used to. He says it's so hard because he can't see right and doesn't get the information all straight inside, but he knows it's not right. I can only imagine how frustrating that is. I have no idea what it's like to have had cancer. I just know that it seems like they're waiting for him to die now. And it makes me grumpy, and then forlorn, and then pissed off, and then resigned. Everyone will handle adversity differently. My Mom and Dad were of the "Buck up, it could be worse" variety until this happened to them.

Where did their faith go? Their friends still stop over; they still get to their community events. They have stopped a lot of the more physical volunteer work they were doing. But I hear them focusing so much on what they've lost. What might their faith leader tell them? Could friends or family say the right thing? Are they just showing a brave front when I'm there and it's really bad when I'm not? I don't know. But I do know that to look at this man blowing out his candles, you might guess there was very little amiss. Look at the grin-there's still sense and smirk there.

Yes, their lives have changed-a lot. I wish I could bring it back, but the new reality is what is present is a gift. A tremendous gift in my opinion. Every day is a treasure for them to still be together.

I left wanting to yell at them and kick them in the ass. What a pretty picture, huh? I'm so mature.

Let Everything that Hath Breath

We had a great time hearing and playing the song yesterday. this is not the Rosemount choir, nor is it me on piano. I would say we went faster in tempo, and as big in spirit. Enjoy your Monday!

Playing Well is Winning the Contest

The state contest finals are Saturday and Sunday, as students perform and judges write. Volunteers aplenty help at registration tables, feeding people, gathering critiques, monitoring doors, and inputting scores.

Also today, the Apple Valley Music Teachers Association held their annual Federation Festival. As the state finals over 2 days hosts 6000 students, AVMTA hosts 600 local students in one day. The finals are piano only, the festival is a wide variety of flute, strings, voice, theory, duet, ensemble, concerti, and solo piano. And I probably left something out-it's an amazing day.

I was behind the scenes for both events this year. For the state contest, I invited the judges, 19 on Saturday, 16 for Sunday. We had two that canceled in January and one that was ill and called on Friday. I hope we don't have illness tomorrow, as my substitute list is empty and I'll be at church. Several of my students competed today, and one little one will perform tomorrow. Nerves were already running a little high at their lessons this week-everyone wants to have a good experience, and win. I remind them that playing well is winning. I don't know whether they heard me or understood.

I set up the piano tuners for the Apple Valley event. We used ten pianos, tuned by three people, which took all day Friday. The church had four pianos which were tuned by their staff tuner. We had six pianos delivered for the event, which were tuned by two other local Piano Technicians Guild members.

It's a big day at church tomorrow as the Rosemount High School Chamber Choir is coming to sing. I'm looking forward to hearing them, and accompanying one of their pieces, a big gospel number. Maybe someone will record it and put it on YouTube? There are always some parents that have their video cameras at the ready.

After lunch, we are going to Rochester for my father's birthday party. I'll try to take pictures!

The pictures today are of the concession table and registration table at our local event. Cookies are still 3/$1.00, homemade, best deal in town! Proceeds go to student awards. It's not a huge money maker, but every chocolate chip helps!

Thomas Arne Birthday Wishes

Will the world stop spinning long enough for me to post regularly again? I have no idea, but here's a quick one!
Tomorrow several students from around the state of Minnesota are competing at the state finals in piano solo. In the 15-16 year old category, many of them will be performing a "Gigue", (pronounced jig), by Thomas Arne, who would have turned 300 today. His most famous piece is "Rule Britannia". Here's a little more about him, the famous piece, and the gigue our students will be performing. Happy happy, Thomas!

Arne's father and grandfather were both upholsterers and both became officials of the City Company of Upholsterers. His grandfather fell upon hard times and died in the Marshalsea prison for debtors. Arne's father earned enough money not only to rent a large house in Covent Garden but also to have Arne educated at Eton College. But later in life, he also managed to lose most of his wealth and had to earn extra cash by acting as a numberer of the boxes at Drury Lane Theatre.

Arne was so keen on music that he smuggled a spinet into his room and, dampening the sounds with his handkerchief, would secretly practice during the night while the rest of the family slept.

"Rule, Brittania", is a British patriotic song, also used by the British Army. It's famous lyric chorus is:

"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

First heard in London in 1745, it achieved instant popularity. It quickly became so well known that Handel quoted it in his Occasional Oratorio in the following year, when it was sung with the words "War shall cease, welcome peace!"

Here's a clip of an amazing performance at Hyde Park, London.



And, finally, a clip from You Tube with the Gigue. This was the better one I found, but I'm certain that many of the students tomorrow will play this with so much more energy and life. hear that, kids! You Tube awaits; publish yourselves-you amaze me!

Welcome, let's March on

February is a blur to me, dear blogger friends. I took pictures and wrote things, but not here. I will try to fill you in on the who, what and wow of the last month as the early days of March shine in my southern windows.
It is going to be a great month, if the first day is any indicator. It will be a month of competitions, exams, and spring breaks, music and thoughts. Are you ready for Spring? Yes, yes, yes, I am.

First in the queue is a most excellent soup made on a not so sunny February weekend. sirloin, barley, vegetables and fresh graham bread, and a good book-the makings of a weekend on the couch. The recipe is from a local restaurant, and the owner said I could reprint it! Thank you, Cherokee Sirloin Room, in Eagan, Minnesota, for keeping my inside warm when my outside was frosty.

Cherokee Sirloin Soup
1 1/2 pound cubed cooked prime rib or sirloin
1/2 pound ground chuck
1 1/2 c. carrots
1 1/2 c. diced potatoes
1 c. green beans, fresh
1 c. onions
1 c. celery
1 bay leaf
2 c. cabbage
1 1/2 c. diced tomatoes (I used canned)
1/2 c. barley
1 T. sweet basil
1 T. garlic
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. black pepper
4 ounces burgundy wine, (opt.)
3/4 gallon beef stock
Saute the chuck, onions, carrots, celery on low for 5 minutes. Move to stock pot, and the rest of ingred. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 90 minutes. salt and pepper to taste.