Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Friday, June 21, 2013

CTO ... Landfill Harmonic

Music, making a difference, the indomitable human spirit, inspired creativity ... It's amazing what people can do!

Check This Out ... Setting out to teach music to the poorest children in Paraquay - certainly a noble project. But look what happened when the demand for instruments outgrew the supply. Recycled orchestra! Necessity IS the mother of invention. Anybody for creating a hammered dulcimer out of trash?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJxxdQox7n0

Monday, April 15, 2013

Monday's Muse #2 - In light of today's Boston Marathon bombings ...

"This will be our reply to violence: To make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before."  ~ Leonard Bernstein

Friday, February 15, 2013

CTO ... Shining Light Project brings the joy of music to the underserved in Asheville

Musicians can and do make a difference. Here's a story to inspire!

Kate Steinbeck, flutist and founder of the chamber music ensemble, Pan Harmonia, says, “I’m on the planet to play music and share the light, and music has the power to do that.”

Check This Out ... Pan Harmonia is an independent artist collective based in Asheville, NC. They perform professionally throughout the region. They started the Shining Light Project to bring free music programs to various groups of people who may not otherwise have access or means to hear it. Read more at Shining Light Project .

Does this story inspire you? Or do you regularly share your music gratis? If so, who do you play for? Why do you do it? Tell us your stories!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Attitude of Gratitude

I love the Thanksgiving holiday. The main event is all about gathering with family and friends and sharing good food ... two of my favorite things! Around our house, the extra long weekend tends to be relaxed, with plenty of time to indulge oneself in projects, games, long walks ... and, of course, playing lots of music.

This year we were on the road for Thanksgiving, but I toted an instrument along, just in case. With 28 folks expected for the "big" dinner celebrating Thanksgiving AND my mother's 72nd birthday there wasn't much time or space for the dulcimer. But in between the ample appetizers and the fantastic feast I did manage to get in a few familiar tunes, including these Thanksgiving classics ... Over the River and Through the Woods, We Gather Together to Ask the Lord's Blessing,  and of course, Turkey in the Straw.

So, here come the holidays ... and the tone is about to be amped up, thanks to the associated hype that surrounds us. No matter how you and your loved ones participate in the holiday season, the cultural environment in which we live can get pretty intense this time of year. Set your intention now - while "giving thanks" is still on your mind - to approach it all with an attitude of gratitude.

Between now and the end of the year, start each day by acknowledging one thing for which you are thankful. Think of something different every day. Write it down, if you want. Or say a little prayer. Make up a mantra. Reward yourself with a chocolate kiss. Whatever! Have fun with it.

I'll get you started. Today, I'm thankful for the gift of music. As I practice and prepare for holiday gigs, my intention for my music is to start at the beginning, to play through to the end, and to play with joy and gratitude for the gift of music and the opportunity to share it.

I wish you joy in the coming weeks ... along with a heaping helping of sanity!