Youth LOVE Classical Music! Energy for the arts!

     Classical Music 
   + Youth of the World 
   = Energy for the ARTS!


You guys know I am a music lover...In my case it's both genetic and environmental... nature and nurture... biological and learned.


Our moments of youth shape us in paramount ways.
This was fortunate for me, because it shaped me into the love of music...a soul healing, spiritual path... one that gave me tools for joyous living and spiritual connection.


Recollections from my youth remind me that I:


* sat at my mother's knee as she strummed and picked the guitar.
* created, as a toddler, harmonies to shaped-note church hymns.
* sang and read the moving alto line before I could even read words.
* taught myself a little piano from my sister's John Thompson book.
* took piano for one year (1st grade) from Ms. Lawhon (strict lady!)
* observed my bro's band rehearse rock'n'roll in our living room.
* attended family reunions, virtually all relatives played music.
* received my first guitar at age 12, a treasured gift from my parents.
* learned to play guitar via my mother, and I wrote some songs.
* sang in church choir (7-12)as we performed christian musicals.
* sang as a member of "His People" (9-12) music concert ensemble.
* cringed as my dad played a "bad bluegrass 8 track" every morn!
* listened to James Taylor and Carole King more than is possible.
* sang solos in ensemble and church choir.
* sat around the campfire, singing with my youth group, retreats, etc.
* went to music week at Ridgecrest several times and was inspired!
* went undecided to Campbell College, auditioned for voice dept.
* took my first voice lesson the month before I auditioned.
* got wonderful (and hard) Mrs. Horton as a voice teacher.
* took my first ballet class in Raleigh with Mrs. Horton.
* sang in Chapel Choir and Concert Choir at Campbell.
* performed recitals, talent shows at Campbell and soloist in church.


As I recollect these fabulous experiences, I thank my parents tremendously for giving me this life and experience in music! 
What a spectacular gift that goes on giving!


And, it's fairly clear from my list that I essentially had very little "formal" music training. Most of what I gained was via osmosis, being around instrumentalists, experiencing first-hand with instruments, listening and absorbing the music all around. It was as if I were wrapped up in a blanket of music... softly caressing me and gently creating a soft place to lay my head and rest.  It is my soul place... where I best meet God, where I connect with other musicians. Music is a place called home.


I wonder if my ancestors (since so many in my family play stringed instruments and sing) used music as a tool for therapy and healing back in the day? I have a great-grandfather who taught singing school in Alabama (a relative still has his baton) and a talented aunt who is a pianist from my dad's side.  I have tons of bluegrass relatives who play every stringed instrument imaginable, on my mom's side.  Lots and lots of singers, too.


Could it be that these traditions, passed on and on, sustain us through  this earthen journey all the way to heaven?


I was fortunate to be born into a musical family... others are not.
Yet, I believe ALL children and youth would benefit from the valuable lessons and emotional sustenance music provides. Studies also indicate that music improves brain functioning. It's a "no-brainer"... pardon the pun!


Yes, indeed, ALL youth can benefit from music.  Not to become superstars... that's not what this is about... but rather, to embrace the self-discipline that music study brings, to feel the accomplishment and personal ego strength that music study evokes, to experience a life-long enjoyment that music study provides!  


Here is Gustavo Dudamel (LA Philharmonic Maestro) conducting a Venezuelan youth symphony! It is the most fun I've had watching symphonic music, ever! It is long, but well worth watching to the end... (if you only have a few mins... speed on over to the 14:00 mark) This will put some zip in your day! Viva la musica!!

PROOF:
Youth can and WILL enjoy good solid music (even classical music) if they are given more opportunities to do so!


Hallelujah to the Arts! 
Let's keep the music in our schools, in our communities, in our youth programs everywhere!


Music should be the first program in our schools... NOT the last!
Build creativity via music... and build the mind! 
Tests do little to evoke creativity... music explodes with it!


Have a marvelously musical day!


La - Ti - Do (Re - Mi - Fa - So - La!)


Jeanne








   

GENIUS - is in the eye of the beholder... EDUCATION takes a HIT when they dismantle the ARTS!

I am an educator.
I am a psychotherapist.
I am a certified school counselor.
I am a voice teacher.
I am a seminar leader.
I have worked in education most of my life.

First, let me say, this post is not a rant about teachers. In fact, so many teacher friends of mine are retiring, because they are FED UP with the protocol (mandated via state directives) for which they are are expected follow... they have lost their ability to deliver creativity in their teaching methods. They are bound by TESTS - TESTS - TESTS and truthfully, just want to creatively teach children.

It amazes me that in our western society today, creativity is being ERASED from the educational process...

Never mind that in the State of Texas,  Orchestra, Choir and Band students have consistently scored in the 97-98-99th percentiles on the SAT for years and years and years!!!

It is a bummer that our government education system and policy makers of today cannot see the benefit in the arts. (That is why I am addicted to TED Talks where creative and brilliant minds are interacting...)

Below is a fabulous video about a young savant who is a musical genius.
Derek is British.
Derek cannot count three fingers when asked, yet his hands effortlessly move across the keyboard in perfect tune with advanced harmonic structure and stunning rhythmic cadence.

You will be amazed and touched by this video of a pervasive developmental DISORDERED young man who is in my eyes is a  pervasively developmentally ORDERED young man - his ORDER comes via the ARTS!

IMAGINE THAT!?!!!

Watch this - watch all of this - you will be amazed and touched!

And, Derek... finds connectivity to people via his music! How cool is that?!!

Humans may not all fit in the same peg hole.
We may not all be the norm.
After all, the norm is AVERAGE... and we are not all AVERAGE...
Isn't it sad that this is exactly how we are teaching our children these days, via testing for NORMED data..
expecting all students to *fit* in the NORM... But, GENIUS looks different on different people.

The education system says: let's norm all the data. Let's figure out how most normal people should collect knowledge, and NORM it for all children and all teens.  Let's expect those individuals who are GENIUS and  those who are thought of as "learning disabled" to fit in this picture we've called... NORMAL.
There is another video in which TED Talks speaker, Ken Robinson, speaks to this very topic.
Is Education Killing Creativity?  This is a must watch!

In this video he talks about a little girl named Jillian Lynn - she, too is British!

He says that when she was a little girl (back in the day before we had the ADHD  diagnosis) she was struggling in school and her mother was asked for a teacher conference. The teacher, probably worried for the little girl, encouraged her mother to seek the help of a "specialist" - so she did.
After visiting with little Jillian, the specialist left the room with her mother and turned on some MUSIC -
and Jillian moved around the room - then the specialist told her mother,

"Your little girl is not *sick* - your little girl is *a dancer*" - I just LOVE those WORDS!

So mom took Jillian to ballet school and she went on to perform with the Royal Ballet and on to start a professional dance company, then hooked up with Andrew Lloyd Webber and choreographed "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera" and is today a millionaire!!!  A Great Story about Success!

Ken's video is well worth your time to watch all the way through.... Ken Robinson is spot on about education and the arts!

Let's all speak up for the ARTS!

Together we can bring back the ARTS into schools and funding. It just breaks my heart when I see people tagged as *disabled* when in truth... they are *differently-abled* - I hope we can change the NORM of thinking that all people should fit in the NORM BOX!

Thanks for reading my ramblings...

Hip - Hip - Hooray for the ARTS!!!

La - Ti - Do!!

Jeanne

Go do something artsy today and find YOUR peace!! Discover YOUR GENIUS!

Kristin Chenoweth - Who Can Do This?!?!

Kristin Chenoweth at the beautiful Winspear Opera House

We were a little worried...

we knew she could... but, would she "really" deliver?

it was a night of GREAT EXPECTATIONS...

And, yes! Yes, indeed... this little, tiny, bundle of enthusiasm did just that!

SHE DELIVERED!!


(the beautiful Winspear Opera House taken from our seats)

This was DLW's birthday gift from me...

 to see Kristin at the Winspear for his birthday celebration!

We were more than a little excited as we arrived.

As we sat down beside a nice couple from Dallas,

we discovered that their cousin is a long time friend of ours!

What fun! And the night had just begun!
It's a small world...

They captured this pic of us before the concert - 2nd row from the stage!

Terrific seats, indeed!

This concert was a crowd pleaser from the start...

personalized with Kristin's southern smart-alecky charm.

Not a single style of music did she leave unsung.

From classical to jazz to country to pop ~

she delivered it all..
succinct, articulate diction...
manipulating her voice from belt to lyric...
from gritty guttural to graceful glissando vocal technique!

And her comedic timing was superb...

we laughed until we hurt!

She sang her opening number, "Should I Be Sweet"...
(here is the end of it from another concert
forgive the sideways video, but the sound is splendid)

after which she picked up an extra large styrofoam SONIC drink

which was sitting on the sleek, black grand piano on stage.

Then, sipping from a straw,
Kristin smiled sheepishly at the audience and said...

"I just LOVE TEXAS..."
(grinning and spoken with a deep southern drawl)

"You just can't get SONIC in NYC or LA!!"

The audience burst out in cheers... for this tiny dynamo had already

connected to her audience   
and a splendid rhythmic flow continued

throughout the entire concert...
with Kristin's heart directing the beat!

Here is a rogue video from her tour -

 I found it on youtube.

"Maybe This Time"

the third song she sang at the Winspear...

Kristin told personal stories... related each song to something in her life:

Her shoes, her men, her broken hearts, her country roots, 
her Christian faith, 
her mother, her daddy, her Broadway endeavors, 

her American Idol Finale "bump" which happened the previous night,

her voice teacher's depth of song interpretation,

her GCB show's cancellation!

She called the creator of GCB from the audience for a hug and thanked him publicly.

There were times... she acted nuts... and the audience LOVED every minute of it.
She donned a mumu and bedroom slippers with flower in hair...
and sang the song "I'm Tired" with an asian accent.
I laughed until my innards hurt!

She was not afraid to speak her mind...

she spoke about her own non-profit for doggie adoptions.
(and two pups were being adopted in the lobby per her request)

She spoke of her love for ALL people regardless of their beliefs...

her respect for old-time composers like Gershwin, Bernstein, and Kern...

Kristin gave a tribute to Dolly Parton...

"WWDD" (W-W-Double-D)

(this is her singing it on the 

Grand Ole Opry stage)

One of my favorite moments was when she sang

a Christian number

"Upon This Rock"

In my early years, I sang this song 
a gazillion times!

The crowd cascaded into applause for Kristin,
because, of course, she brought the house down with her rich vocals and high notes.

And, there were times... she acted sensitive and serious... and the audience LOVED 

every minute of it, too!

She invited a 14 year old girl from the audience

to sing "For Good"  as a duet.
She swore this young talent was not a plant.

The girl was from Westlake.

She appeared shy... not confident on stage.

The audience went WILD 
when this precious teen sang with Kristin.
She had a voice... sang on pitch, with a good strong connected instrument,

and a gorgeous timbre.

Kristin was visibly blown away by this talent...

as were we all!! 


At this moment in the show,
we were enchanted with a "what are the odds" kind of moment!

The audience teared... a community "awe"...

something special had happened!
(I hope her mommy got a video!)

And as Kristen began to sing "Popular" from Wicked,

the crowd anticipated it's familiarity as one of their favorites.
BUT, KRISTIN CHANGED IT UP!
She sang it in German and Chinese...

intermingled with English.

It was so funny!!
(the element of surprise, I guess!)


Here is a recording of "Popular"  from last night's concert.
It's an iPhone recording someone put up on youtube from this concert

so it's a little tinty... but, she sang it with much more color than is heard here...
I hope it's okay to upload... 
you can probably hear me cackling from the second row as she switched from 
German to English to Chinese... etc!

So the evening went on and on...
hit after hit...
high notes... low notes... country twang... operatic technique...
all completed with precision.


Now, you tell me... 
how does an artist, after singing for 2 1/2 hours 

... run back on stage for her SECOND encore...

and sing "Glitter and Be Gay" as fresh and clear as if she had sung it
first on her line of repertoire? 

(here is Kristin singing "Glitter" from a previous concert)

Who can do this?!?!


Wow! This evening was terrific...

The energy...

The talent...


I have to tell you, this soul singer was totally amazed...

because I respect the manner in which Kristin Chenoweth

courageously crosses all music genres
exhibits dramatic and comedic expertise
and
connects ~ totally connects with her audience.


There is simply not a better entertainer, in my view!


If she comes to a city near you...
you don't want to miss this!


La - Ti - Do!
(and Kristin would sing those to an E-6!!)
Impressive!


Jeanne


I hope you enjoyed this blogpost... 
If you have heard Kristin or would like to share your thoughts, please comment below.
Thanks!

Graduation in Beautiful Minnesota! Double Degrees and Family Fun!!

Graduation in Minnesota!

Family memory moments are my favorite times...

It's rare that we get all of our children together at the same time,

but, it's such a thrill when we can get most of them in the same place if even for a day!

They are all productive, busy adults...

out in this world doing good things, making the world a better place.

I think it's really great the way they support each other through 

these special life transitions.

So, when they come together to celebrate 

the BIG deal moments of their lives..

I experience JOY!

Last weekend...

our family met in Minnesota for Lauren's graduation... 

Here we are just sitting and waiting for graduation to begin...

Lauren and John had a party with friends and 

their families the night before...

we had fun times in their warm home...

They are terrific hosts!

These are Laurie's awesome friends...

Beautiful, amazing girls.... 

we got to meet their parents and siblings...

such a fun time!

After graduation.. 

this is pretty typical of our three girls!

And a crazy family pic!

Erin and Tyler came all the way from Salt Lake City...

and it looks like she and Tyler are moving to "near" Dallas...

fingers crossed...xxxxxx!!!

I love my girls... how fortunate for me that they are all

beautiful inside and out!

They give me so much love... so much joy!

And they are good friends!

That is the best.

Two proud dads!  Pops and Leroy...

Lauren and John...

his unending support has been amazing!

Our daughters and hubbies...

Tyler, Erin, Lauren, John, Kelsey

My heart is full!

We went to a reception at the student center...

more pics...

(note the graduation dress on Kels...)

she wore it for her graduation at Baylor last year...

then Lauren wore it to Erin's graduation 

from dental school last year...

and then Kels wore it AGAIN for Lauren's graduation this year...

it's had some miles... don't ya think!?!!

We met two of her professors from the Music Dept.

Lauren will be joining the faculty next year.

The one on the left is the chair of the department... he is a bassoonist!

The one on the right lives in NYC all summer each year...

how cool is that?!!

This is Dr. Kimm Julian... her voice prof... 

Some people come into our lives for a reason...

to teach us something we must learn...

Dr. J did just that!

And then we met the Dean of Fine Arts...

He came to all three of her operas while at MNSU...

You can tell by his 

smile 

that he is a terrific mentor!

Afterwards, we went to a coffee shop (to warm up)

and then settled in at a really cool restaurant for lunch...

Laurie's sweet  friend Rachel joined us!

Lauren...

Celebrating...

Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre

Master of Music - Voice

More parties?!!!?!!!

Yes!

Sara (in the pic below) hosted a party the night after graduation....

Here are four of the Musical Theatre grad students...

There were tons of people there...
I have discovered that theatrical people 
are celebratory by nature!

After a good night's sleep we had a big breakfast...

more family time... more food...

Kelsey flew to TX with us...

she was a little stressed when her flight got cancelled...

since a Dental School final was the next morning...eek!

AA got her rerouted and thankfully she made it home in time!

(she even got bumped to first class...)

That girl!

This soul singer's heart is full!

Daughter with two music degrees...

surrounded with family love...

seeing my children all making a difference...

that is a good day!

I leave you with this tribute of love...

Michael Buble crooning... for his grandpa..

This is one of my favorite songs 

to sing!

So to my kiddos, my family, my friends...

"You'll Never Know Just How Much I Love You" medley..

La - Ti - Do!

Jeanne

Putter Downers -JUNIOR HIGH DISEASE

JUNIOR HIGH DISEASE
(some ramblings from the counselor's chair...)

Today is a good day to resurrect the old cheer:

TWO - FOUR - SIX - EIGHT 

who do you appreciate

YOU  -  YOU  -  YOU!!

After all, 
if you don't believe in yourself and love yourself first...

you have no basis for loving others... right?

Some of us have been taught that Jesus said,

"Love thy neighbor AS thyself..."

but, He did not say,

"Love thy neighbor INSTEAD of thyself..."

We must love ourselves, and be kind to ourselves FIRST

or else we might end up having

that dreaded diagnosis...

JUNIOR HIGH DISEASE!

Junior High Disease is a coping skill which
manifests fully in early adolescence.
It is when someone takes delight in putting others down... 

or makes remarks at someone else's expense 
that appear to be funny, but aren't really...
aren't very funny at all!

It is when someone uses words to encourage others 
to feel "LESS THAN"


Okay, it's safe to say we've all done that at some time or another... right?


In fact...
These coping behaviors are sometimes considered 
adaptive in childhood and adolescence
because at that age, they serve a healthy purpose 
for the individual...
they help them through some difficult moments.


These behaviors may calm an adolescent's anxieties 
and fears of not being accepted...
help them deal with not being good enough.
Unfortunately, when these coping behaviors are carried into
adulthood, they become maladaptive.


The real destructive thing about these behaviors 
(at any age) is that
they destroy intimate relationships...
you know.. the kind of relationships we all long for...
those which are long lasting, and fulfilling,
and bring us peace.

People with Junior High Disease carried into adulthood

operate out of the fear of not being good enough.

 They go to great expense to subtly or not so subtly discourage others.

Sometimes they tell lies to paint others in a negative light.

Often they are jealous of another person's life, 

their achievements, their successes.

Instead of focusing on their own successes, 

 they concentrate on defeating someone else's spirit.

They are not honest.

How do you know you are experiencing the effects of

a tremendously maladaptive, disingenuous relationship 
with a JHD person?

Oh, you know these people...

they are crafty with their words...

they use words as weapons.

These are the poor folks who readily offer criticism...

they throw you "under the bus"

to gain superiority.

Interestingly, however, people with Junior High Disease

appear to be self-confident... 

But, beware... that is just a facade... 

Appearances aren't always what they seem...

People with Junior High Disease 

can never have true intimate relationships
until they learn to be REAL.

So if YOU encounter 
a person with JUNIOR HIGH DISEASE...
here is another cheer for you:

Push 'em back

Push 'em back

Way............. back!!

You may ask, just what are we pushing back?

Why, it's the slimy, sneaky, destructive behaviors
used by a JHD personality to cause harm.


Push the behaviors back...
which means to keep a safe distance...
without withdrawing our love.


The key is to
find a way to love and interact with JHD types
without
giving them power
over our own happiness!


The second key is to
live in the truth of every moment.
Sometimes this requires us to lovingly address the behavior when it happens...
which requires entering conflict...
which is difficult to do without causing more harm.
Most of us like to avoid this.


In our Christian walk we are taught to be careful 
with other people's hearts.
Jesus taught and modeled this, for sure...
however, 
He also set an example of self-care...
and self-care sometimes requires conflict...
and when dealing with a JHD behavior, self care is primo!


Conflict is not always easy... but it is a healthy goal... 
if done in the spirit of good will.

So many of my clients with dysregulation of mood
identify Junior High as the time of life
when they lost hope...
so I thought it worth a blogpost...


Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

La - Ti - Do!


Jeanne