Our Lives As Stories
It’s Spring Break for me, and today I have the whole day to myself. At a loss of things to do, I decided to write, because it’s one of those activities that I never get to do at length during the semester. I began my morning just writing and reflecting on lessons learned thus far in graduate school. It always amazes me how much I can write when I don’t have any “lines”, particularly guide and dead. (See what I did there?) I then took a break to check my Twitter feed, and a new blog post by Donald Miller, one of my favorite authors/bloggers, popped up. It’s...
Read More“The Last Lecture” – Randy Pausch
I finally finished reading The Last Lecture, and can officially deem it as one of those reading experiences where you nod your head the entire time in either agreement or in sudden inspiration. Sometimes it really does take someone who is dying to teach you how to live. I love Randy Pausch’s way of living life. I love that he held on to his childhood dreams. I love that he asked questions. I love that he encouraged learning and experiencing. I so much believe in doing all of those things, simply because you have one life…why not achieve and learn all that you can? After reflecting on...
Read MoreLessons Learned from “So You Think You Can Dance” – Choreography Inspiration for Musicians
I’ll admit without any hesitation that I am a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance. Maybe it’s the former dancer in me, maybe it’s the guilty pleasure of performance-based reality shows, but I find it to be so much more than entertainment; I find it incredibly inspiring. I feel like any musician could learn a thing or two from watching this show. Before you judge, hear me out! If you are unfamiliar with the show, the basic concept is that there are 10 dancers chosen through an audition process who are then paired up with former alumni from the show (referred to as “all stars” as...
Read More#MusEdChat Reflection – Incorporating Music With No Funding
There was some GREAT discussion in last night’s #MusEdChat! The topic: How can schools with no funding still incorporate music? I’ve been thinking about this a lot, because arts education is being cut from education programs everywhere in today’s society. To be quite honest….it just baffles me. EXPRESSION is so important in a child’s development. Perhaps it’s because I’m biased, as I was one of those kids, and still am, who best expresses themselves through the arts. So when the topic question was asked, the main answer seemed to revolve around funding. To get funding, you need...
Read MoreSome Words to Inspire!
I know I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m a huge fan of Dr. James Jordan’s books, but I truly believe his books have had a great influence on my musical life. So, in hopes of persuading you to go out and buy the book(s) for yourself, consider this a potential series of somewhat-frequent posts of my favorite quotes from Dr. Jordan. “You will discover how stories play a role in the life of a musician. You will realize that great teachers and musicians become great because they partake in meaningful sharing. To be able to give of oneself is the greatest gift a teacher and artist can...
Read More
