Happy Memorial Day 2009!

Happy Memorial Day 2009!

Many of us have personal connections to Memorial Day either through the loss of a family member, friend, or love for country. My father served in the Army during the Korean Conflict. He was injuried but thankfully he survived and met my mother. 

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It is a day of remembrance for those military and civilians who have died in our nation's service.

Recently, at the May concerts of Lee County Orchestra's season finale, they featured a work called Armed Forces Salute. This medley contained melodies of each of the five branches of the armed forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. During the piece, the conductor asked audience members to stand and be recognized when they heard their branches melody. It was really moving to see some of these older gentlemen stand tall and proudly as the orchestra played their song. What a treat and sense of pride it gave ME to see them stand. I have never served in the armed forces, but it reminded me that Memorial Day was really about remembering how far we have come and what we have today because of those who have perished. 

This year, take a moment and pause to think about what Memorial Day means to you. I have recently discovered what it means to me.

Below is an informative link. Click it and give a short read. 

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

F-Art-ing around with Aleatoric Antics

On Friday, May 1, 2009 (I know - this posting is a bit late), a dear friend performed in a group he affectionately calls, "F-Art". This is a group from his college days dating back to the 70s I believe. It was a group of music major misfits (my words) that were experimenting with new music and music creation. Remember, this was a time of polytonality, aleatory, and good old fashion fun. 

The recital started with my friend Gil playing Schubert and pretending to be rather reserved. Well, one look at the accompanying photo and you'll see that Gil can be anything but reserved. I mean, geez, look at his Santa Claus hair and beard! This guy is a walking music library. Although he is not a musicologist, he has more information in his head than any musicologist I've met in any of the three universities I've attended. At any rate, after he presented some of Mr. Schubert's works, Gil progressively regressed to the F-Art-dom and began his aleatoric diatribe. Although seemingly random passages performed sometimes pantomimically on the piano, Gil would sneak in a musical quotes from old Hannah-Barbera cartoons and common folk songs. And, just when things seemed plaintively benign, he would slam his arms down on the keyboards with full fortississimo force! 

I must say this was a rousing recital of the revived "F-Art" ensemble. 

Kudos to experimentation and a jolly good time of music making. 

ps- the recital was held at a women's clothing shop downtown Greensboro, NC. Wasn't that the cherry on top of the whip cream. Randomness at it's best!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Hello All!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

The holiday commemorates a battle between Mexico and the French on 5 May 1862. The outnumbered and outgunned Mexican army was victorious over French forces at the Battle of Puebla. This event has gotten so large that it has exceeded the borders of Mexico and is now celebrated across much of the Southwestern United States.

How many people can name the date that the Alamo fell? I'm just curious. To the right is a picture depicting the famous battle.

Nonetheless, happy celebrations to all!

N1H1 - Prevention and Good Health Habits from the CDC.

Okay, so this is not exactly a musical note or comment, but it is an educational one. With this N1H1 flu floating around, it is good to heed the advice from health care professionals.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends basic preventative measures to avoid spreading the flu. http://cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm

1. Avoid close contact.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
3. Cover your mouth and nose.
4. Clean your hands.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits.

The big one in my opinion is number 3. It's important to cover your coughs and sneezes. It is commonly recognized to cough or sneeze into your sleeve and not your hands. Many sources say this helps prevent germs spreading. Whether you do this or not, it's always good to use a hand sanitizer, like Purell.

Now, I'm not some Howard Hughian paranoid germ freak. I just think it is important to be familiar with commonly accepted practices of good health.

Cinco de Mayo is a fun holiday where many people come together in celebratory fashion. And, there is plenty of good live music to enjoy, especially in Austin, Texas!

Happy Cinco de Mayo and everyone stay healthy!

Cheers.

Mozart Effect...have you listened to his Requiem?

Ever heard of the Mozart Effect?  Well, some experts say that it doesn't work or doesn't exist. I'm sure that everyone will agree that listenting to music can be influential on your mood and perhaps even your motivational drive. When I'm driving my car for an extended length, I prefer upbeat music that is engaging. When I'm tired and relaxing with a nice glass of cabernet (Silver Oak is always good...just too expensive), I prefer more cerebral or slower music. Either way, classical music fits the bill. For those new comers to classical music who really don't know where to start their education, I would recommend Mozart's Requiem. First of all, get past the fact that it is a death mass. Think more about the fact that it is music that Mozart wrote when he was in his full maturity at the end of his life. Listen to the different parts of the mass and note the different textures in the music - some feature solo instruments or voices. It can be really calming and/or enthralling to read a little on a classical work before listening to it. You can also find some FREE information online about the work sometimes even with a graphical chart with which to follow.

Many studies (here's one that is interesting: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1281386) have been made on the Mozart Effect, some with more credibility than others. It seems that there could be an increase in brain power after listening to classical music. Although, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer and I've been listening or actively engaged in creating classical music for well over 25 years. But don't let me through the curve! 

Nonetheless, if music motivates you to study more, or stimulates you towards a stronger vilance, then that's fantastic! Whether it can make you smarter or not, well I'll leave that to the PhD's out there to argue. I can't help but see some effectiveness. One thing for sure, it doesn't hurt to listen to more music, and Mozart is a pretty cool composer. 

Educational Plateaus

Learning new skills requires patience. If you've been working at it for a while, it can seem like forever until you get the new lick under fingers, or that new dominant 7th chord arpeggiated just so, or having the keys fall into place under your fingers. Learning new skills requires an understanding of educational plateaus.

Recently I was applying for a really fascinating job that seemed to be "me". What hit home, were the web-based questions that were asked in the form. As I was pondering my responses, I was reminded of a seemingly innocuous conversation I had with a music teacher oh so many years ago. He told me about educational plateaus.

If you graph the learning curve of a new skill -- it really doesn't look much like a curve at all. It falls into what looks more like a series of plateaus. Early on in the learning stages,

the plateaus are fairly steep stepped. The longer you study

your skill, the smaller the plateaus become. But, they're still there.

Understanding plateaus may help you understand your individual learning progress or what may seem like a lack of progress. Keep at it. You will get to the next plateau.

Regarding the job application. I don't know yet.

We'll see.

Speaking of plateaus, I included a couple of pictures in this post that remind me of educational learning plateaus and epiphanies.

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At the left are two who are enjoying an Austin sunset over a plateau.

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Above, is a still from a fireworks display at a ballpark -- when you look to the sky, sometimes there's more than fireworks -- you never know when an epiphany can hit.

Holden Beach Thoughts on Job Seaching and Big Dogs

Ever been to Holden Beach? OMG, it's Beautiful here. It has been far too long since I've been able to enjoy the "Great Escape" beach house. BTW, I have some really nice friends who let me use their house from time to time to reguvinate from whatever is ailing me.

So what's ailing me you ask, well if you read my first post I'm searching for a job...which is a full-time job in itself if you've not experienced this first hand. If you have, then you know what I'm talking about. It is apparent that the more versatile you are the more likely you'll land a job fairly quickly. Although I feel I'm fairly well-balanced in three industries, it still just doesn't seem to matter. Perhaps the stars are not lined up yet (topic for another blog?).

What are my three industries? Music, Education, Technology. What's nice about this is that I can mix and match each within each other. Music Technology, Education Software, Product Clinicians, Software Training, etc. So, the question still begs...where are the jobs?

So What's With the "Big Dogs" in the Title?

Well, here I am at Holden Beach with a big dog: half dalmation and half boxer. He's really a cool pub - stocky, stout, and cute with a touch of hypertension (he's a mix afterall). Check out his pic above!