Hi everyone! Happy November to you all! It is hard to believe that this year is passing so quickly. I am really enjoying the colors of autumn and the cooler temps. 

As always, I continue to enjoy my work as a musician-in-residence at UVA hospital. There have been so many memorable moments but I will tell you about one of them. 

I recently re-learned a piece I used to play many years ago and it was like having an old friend back. It is "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach. The arrangement is by David Qualey  and it is very beautiful ! I get a lot of very positive responses from the staff at the hospital as well as by the patients. 

One particular moment stands out with this piece for me. I was up playing in the PICU (pediatrics ICU) and playing for a baby and his parents. I was sitting right outside the doorway and at one point, the mother picked up her son and came over to me and was gesturing (she did not speak English) to me and my guitar and to her son. She was delighted to have me there and I played some lullabies and other pieces. Later, she put him back in the bed and I continued playing. For my last piece, I chose, "Jesu" and then the father picked up his son and came over to me and was rocking his baby son along to the music. They both looked happy and peaceful and to be really enjoying the music. That's how good this piece is!  When I finished, the mother and father smiled and waved goodbye. 

As a music practitioner, it is not about a performance but about letting the power of music find it's way into the heart and soul of those who are listening. A hospital setting is a good place to really listen because most of the sounds are not pleasing. (machines, alarms, etc) So when there is beautiful music introduced in the room, it fills the environment with such a peace that is much needed. 

I also recently learned the song, "Oh My Love" by John Lennon. It's a beautiful song from his "Imagine" album.  

I am also enjoying the peace and beauty of autumn here in Virginia. The above picture was taken on one of my daily walks in my neighborhood. I hope you are all enjoying the change of seasons. May it bring you comfort that seasonal change is one thing we can count on. 

New season, new rhythms

 

This September I will be joining a jazz band here in town called the Flashbacks. We play all kinds of jazz music but also music from the band Chicago and my favorite TV theme songs, "Hawaii 5-0" and "Pink Panther" to name a couple.   I will be playing Latin hand drumming on Conga and bongos and probably using my new African djembe too. I'm pretty excited about this!

This year marks 50 years since I started drumming at the age of 13. I got a drum set and learned rock and roll and played percussion in my high school concert band. Over the years, drumming took me in new directions . I played tabla (Indian Kirtan chanting music) Bodhran (Irish music) and learned a little drum line routine one year on my snare drum. 

In addition, I play percussion in my church (Unity) band each Sunday. The picture above is of my friend Whit who made me a new djembe. It is small in size but powerful in sound. It is amazing to play it! 

To me, having new rhythms to learn and play is very symbolic of new life's rhythms coming into my life. I wonder where they will take me? It is a mystery but a joy to be on this journey. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Songs of Freedom

 

Yesterday was the 4th of July here in America. Many of us did not feel like celebrating, given all of the recent events going on in our country (abortion rights taken away, mass shootings,  insurrection trials, etc) Even so, I love the holiday to honor veterans and those who have served our country.  For this reason, I volunteered to sing at a local nursing home to bring some joy to those who have limited mobility and resources to go out and celebrate. 

I told some holiday jokes:

Q: why are there no knock knock jokes about the 4th of July? 

A: Because freedom rings. 

Q: What was George Washington's favorite tree?

A: The infantry

Q: Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?  

A: At the bottom of the page

I also did a lot of old spirituals, freedom songs, songs of the civil rights movement, old Motown and pop songs from the 60s-70s.   My audience was largely African American and so I sang all songs from black heritage. Quite a wealth of great songs like:

"What a Wonderful World", "People Get Ready," "We Shall Not Be Moved," "My Girl,' "Stand By Me", "Lean on Me," etc. It was a lot of fun.  I love how music brings people together. Many of the songs I sang were songs I grew up with in Chicago. I am fortunate to have grown up in a diverse, multi ethnic culture. 

Quite an uplifting gig it was for me. I'm glad you stopped by to read about it. Above is a picture from the gig where I am showing off my 4th of July t-shirt. 

Happy July, everyone! 

Vintage playlists of life

 

When I was a child, I spent my dollar allowance at Woolworth.  My favorite thing to buy was a stack of ten 45 records in a package. They had a hit single on top and the rest were unknown bands and songs. I loved going home and listening to all of them and marveling at the new sounds I found. Some people collected shells from the beach, I collected sounds.  It would be many more years I would become a musician and a radio DJ and share my sounds with others. 

Listening to records was a big thing for me. When I was old enough to buy albums, I would buy about 5 at a time. At one point, I had a collection of nearly 1,000 albums of all genres spanning from folk, reggae, classical, Indian, classical guitar, movie soundtracks, progressive rock, hard rock, traditional Irish,  cajun, etc.   Sometimes when friends came over, they would choose an album I didn't even remember having! 

Something about the album made it so that it was more conducive to listening to the whole thing at one time.  The songs were like different stories with different colors and characters in a play. I loved the varying dynamics from tender softness to outright loud and expressive. 

Who remembers sitting with friends and listening to records? I had a friend who would call me and say, "I just got the newest Pink Floyd album" and I'd say, "I'll be right over." And we would listen to it over and over again. 

I miss those days when listening to music was such an immersive experience. I have to admit that listening to digital streamed music has not been the same for me. Although I do like things like Spotify and Pandora that will chose music for you that is matched with other artists and genres you like, But I find I don't listen to music nearly as much as I used to. But I play music a lot! So, that makes up for it. 

This memory came up because I recently bought a bundle of 35 songs for solo guitar of pop arrangements by Lex Von Sumayo . I knew many of the songs but some of them were songs I would likely not have chosen to learn. But I likened it to the days of getting that stack of unknown 45s and listening. It's fun to explore music and see where it takes you. 

who remembers 45s? Do you miss albums? I miss the big album cover art and the physical feeling of holding it in my hand and reading the lyrics along while listening. Those where the days, my friends! :) 

Spring into healing muse

 

Hello and Happy May to all!  It is so nice to see the trees and flowers and life in bloom again. All of this and Covid on the wane. I went to play at a nursing home yesterday and the sign on the door said, "Masks optional." That's a first in 2.5 years! I hope this trend continues. We still need to be cautious though but have good reason to be optimistic. 

Last month I did some studying for my CEUs - continuing education to maintain my Certified Music Practitioner requirements. I took a class to learn more about Hildegard Von Bingen who was  a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and medical healer.  

We learned to read some of her Medieval notation in neumes and learned about how she used musical intervals (notes of scales) to give a certain effect on the listener for healing. For example, we can find musical tones in our own music that brings a strong reaction. Composers like Hildegard knew this and composed music with a desired effect in mind. 

Some tones would be energizing, some melancholy, some contemplative, restorative, resolving, anticipatory, etc. Some of her favorite intervals was the perfect 5th. You can feel the power of this tone by remembering the closing measures of the piece "Gates of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky. (a favorite piece of mine). The closing notes give a feeling of power, expansion, transcendence.  Surely listening to music with such tones would uplift anyone. 

There's so much more about her I could say but I'll talk about other things I'm doing :) 

I have been really enjoying my work playing for nursing home residents and hospital patients. I enjoy expanding my repertoire and making up lesson plans for my patients. In the nursing home, most of them sing with me but for those who do not sing, I play "Name that Tune" and other musical games. 

Always so much to learn and do in my work and in life. I hope this finds you all growing and blooming like the springtime. 

Take a sad song and make it better

 

Hello everyone! March was a big month for me because I have been allowed back playing at a nursing home in person for the first time in 2 years. These are residents I play one on one for. These are people who have no family or friends in the area and I may be their only visitor. Singing with them means the world to me and them too.  

Over this month, I have met new people there as well.  In one room I was playing for a resident there and I got to know her roommate. We have sung together now a few times and each time I visit I learn more about her.  I also have been able to play for Mr. Miller (not his real name) who loves jazz and blues. My favorite thing to do with him is to improvise. I just sit down and play my guitar and let it take me where it wants to go. Mr. Miller lies in his bed listening deeply. Sometimes he appears to be sleeping but after I finish playing, he sits up and says, "Wow! Moods!" 

I also have had some really good sessions at the hospital. The other day, I was sent to a room of a young  man (20s-30s?) who seemed very bored and he was a bit disruptive to the staff. When he saw my guitar, he got very excited. He asked if he could play it, which I politely declined. Unfortunately, I get asked this from time to time by patients and it is simply not possible to allow this due to infectious control. Anyway, I started to play, "Hey Jude, " for him and his nurse was in the room with him and started to sing along. I have always loved that song ! Do you remember when that song first came into your life? It was released as a 45 single in 1968 and I was 10 years old at the time. My parents just divorced and so the song had a special impact on me.  

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better... " How those words helped soothe me in that time of uncertainly and confusion. 

I also did some art this month, as you can see from the picture above. The situation in Ukraine has weighed heavily in my heart.  and though the situation there seems very grim, I do see some positive things coming out of it.  A friend of mine has founded "Knitters Unite: Hats for Ukraine" where a local group and those around the state of Virginia are making blue and yellow hats (colors of the Ukraine flag) to sell for a donation to benefit Ukraine emergency fund.  Let's hope and pray for peace! 

Spring seems to be slowly emerging with flowers and trees blooming although with colder temps. I hope you are enjoying signs of spring wherever you are! 

May Peace Prevail

 

Hello everyone! Today my thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and I pray for peace to be restored to their nation.  The other night I attended an online interfaith vigil for peace and I was struck that getting together and doing our best to stand up for others is one positive thing that can come from this time. 

In other news, I continue to enjoy playing music for nursing home residents and hospital patients.  As I mentioned in my last post, I have been working on new repertoire.  A couple of new pieces for me are, "Rocket Man," by Elton John, "Hey Jude, " by the Beatles and "Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. I don't usually play this type of music for my patients but sometimes I play at the nursing station or in the hallways where staff and families can hear me and I play a wider range of music for these situations. 

I am also happy to see the days getting longer and warmer and flowers sprouting and spring on the way. I know we are all ready for spring. 

I just wanted to say hello out there and wish you all well! 

Pray for Peace! 

Nearer to spring, we are

 

Hello everyone! Happy February.  I hope this finds you all doing well.   Winter is still upon us but I have taken comfort in noticing that the days are getting longer. Not much warmer though! 

January was a good month for me. I started working on more repertoire for my patients at the hospital.  One way I like to do this is by making what I call a "cheat sheet." This is where I just write down all of the chords that are in the song and from there I play the melody "by heart." I like saying it that way, playing by heart. I do not like to read music while playing for patients because I want to be able to watch their response to the music. A few new ones I am doing are, "Gartan Mother's Lullaby, " which is a very pretty Irish melody. Also, "Nocturne," by Evert Taube, "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen and "Imagine," by John Lennon. All of them are slow and haunting and very comforting. 

I also did some art, as you can see by the photo above. This is the newest piece I did. As many of you know, I use discarded canvases/paintings done by local art students. This one took me a long time because I could not see anything in the original painting. Finally, I took some tissue paper and covered up some of the areas I did not like and then it came together. This one is my current favorite. I love the animals I got from a nature coloring book . A friend remarked how the images/drawings really capture the spirit of the animal. I think that is true too. I also love to color flowers. The purple/blue circle in the right corner was there already. It was originally just a blue circle and I put the purple and green inside. I do not know what it is but I like that it has an element of abstract to it.  It can be whatever you want to see in it. Everyone will have a different interpretation. 

Art and music are a good way to soothe the soul in these challenging times. I hope you are all finding good ways to soothe your soul. Thanks for stopping by! 

best to all! 

Last Photo of 2021

 

Happy New Year! I don't think many of us will be sad to say goodbye to 2021.  

A thought came to me as an interesting metaphor. What was the last photo you took in 2021? Mine is of the Buddha statue pictured above. It strikes me as a fitting metaphor in many ways. I think of Buddhism as a philosophy that teaches how to be in the present moment and see each moment, each day anew. Begin again and again as a beginner. To me I think that is fitting for the last couple of years because life as we knew it (pre-Pandemic) has ended.. at least temporarily. And just as we thought we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this pandemic to be under control, Omicron came along and we're back in chaos again.  Living in the Unknown is the new normal. 

Yet there is still hope in this image above. The Buddha is surrounded by dead leaves, the shedding of 2021's trees. The Buddha's face is calm and serene and centered out in nature- seemingly oblivious of all of the drama and chaos in the outer world. Somehow we have to find that inner place for ourselves. 

That's where my music comes in. What I am playing, I go to a place like that within. The noise of the outer world is not there and the demands of daily life are put on hold. We all have something we do that takes us there. I bet listening to music takes you there. 

Then there is the idea that came to me as the last activity done in 2021. For me it was walking a Labyrinth 

and this one is particularly good to sum up 2021! See how old and worn these stones are? At some points, the stones are warn down so much that it's hard to see which way you are supposed to go. Walking in a maze, like facing the unknown.. where will I end up? Then others join this maze and some are going to the center, others on their way out. At times we intersect and  we have to stay focused on our own path or we could be swayed to follow someone else. I did that one time in a Labyrinth - I thought I was going the wrong way and followed someone else.. little did I know they were doing the same thing! Do you see the metaphor here? :) Yesterday though, I did not get lost.  There were children playing in the Labyrinth at one point . An old me would have been annoyed. (kids! ) but yesterday I was unfazed. Good to see. I have become more patient. Another perk about the pandemic. Things that used to annoy me don't anymore.  Small things are what make life interesting and meaningful. 

So how about you? What was your last photo and what metaphor comes up for you about this past year? 

What was your last activity of the year and what does that say about your growth? 

Reply below if you want! I'd love to hear from you. 

I wish you all the best year ever !! Thanks for stopping by!