Nathan's Cello Concert--part 2

About this time last year I went to Nathan's cello concert. You can read about it here.

Much to his mother's surprise, Nathan has stuck with the cello. He is in his third year of orchestra and second year of playing the cello. He said he really likes it and is already signed up for orchestra for his freshman year of high school. I am really hoping he will try out for the Young Strings program at the Dallas Symphony next January.

His orchestra teacher was caught up with emotion as she explained to the audience she hated to let go of her 8th graders. She has done an amazing job with her group. It is obvious she is passionate about kids and music. I am so happy that there are some schools left that have quality arts programs that truly develop the kids in areas that go beyond the traditional reading, writing, and math.Like his mother, I would never have guessed Nathan would enjoy the cello, but I am so glad he has had the opportunity to try it out and discover that talent. Thank you, Dallas Independent School District, for allowing that arts programming in Lang and Skyline to continue. Our kids deserve that.

Indulge me and watch Nathan's performance in the video above. Watch it to the end so you can see he and his orchestra buddy's "secret" handshake. :)

The purpose of a life...

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. There is no gift-buying that adds to the stress of other holidays...just family getting together and doing what they do best--some cook, some clean, some take pictures...

I have so much to be thankful for.

Thankful was the word that came to mind when I watched this TED video:



I listened to Emmanuel Jal talk about his willingness to die for education...not for himself, but for the other children in the Sudan. He writes, he speaks, he performs...he only eats one meal a day...so that he can raise money to build a school for the children in his home country.

Emmanuel Jal credits Emma McCune for saving him. It is because of her that he is able to save other people's lives.

We need dedicated people...no matter what their dedication is to.

I am thankful that we have people like Emmanuel Jal who believe in education so much that they have dedicated their lives to ensure children have access. I am thankful for people like Emma McCune who believe so much in saving child soldiers that they dedicate their lives to the effort and, as a result, people like Emmanuel Jal and his vision becomes possible.

We all have those people in our lives. People who inspire us. People who save us from ourselves. People who are so devoted that we can't help but be devoted as well.

Thank you to all of those people.

From symphony to brass band jazz

The last few days have been filled with music.

On Friday, we ended our After-School Academy with a fun, interactive performance with the Inner City All Stars jazz band.

Thanks to the City of Dallas's Office of Cultural Affairs, we were able to bring this group to the ASA as a finale performance. They worked with the kids on Mardi Gras masks then pulled out their instruments and put on a New Orleans jazz performance--first in the ASA, then outside for the whole community to hear.

It was neat watching people come outside to tap their feet and move to the beat. The music was so fun, you just couldn't help yourself!

After taking a few kids to the symphony the night before, I was just sure they would be so excited to hear more up-beat music. So, as the band was playing I leaned over to Monteyvion and asked him, "So, which do you like better, today or last night?" Monteyvion wrinkled up his forhead in a very perplexed expression like I had asked a really crazy question, "Both!" he told me without a moment's hesitation.

I don't know why I should have thought any different. I, too, like variety.

I don't have any video of the symphony we attended (you can listen to Nathan from yesterday's post to get an idea), but I do have the jazz band.

Click on the videos below and get ready to move your body and tap your feet. It was a great time!

Making music

I know it can be frustrating being a teacher, but what an amazing profession!

Teachers have such an opportunity to impact children and completely change their perspective on life. It was obvious that the three orchestra/band teachers at Lang have done just that with quite a large group of kids. Somehow, they have made orchestra cool for lots of kids--boys and girls alike.

Mrs. Poquette-Drews, Mr. Covey, and Mr. Woods deserve lots of accolades. What an amazing ability to teach kids how to play an instrument, concentrate, work in conjunction with others, and so much more.

Nathan is one of their students. I've been asking Nathan all year to tell me when his orchestra concerts are. It took him all year, but tonight was the night: Lane Middle School Spring Orchestra concert.

I went, not because I'm a big orchestra fan, but because I am a big Nathan fan. However, I must admit, I truly enjoyed this orchestra concert.

Turns out, Nathan's a cello player in the advanced orchestra! He never told me he was in the advanced orchestra!! I'm so impressed with what he's learned and continues to learn. Last year he played the viola. But I believe he has found an instrument he likes even better. I think next year we'll get to hear an even more advanced cello player. I'm so thorougly impressed and proud.

Check him out here:

Rappin' biology

You may have teenagers who may be struggling to learn all of the stuff in biology. I know I was one of them! Check out the video below. Pass it along to your kids. Who knows...it may either help them remember something they needed to know...or inspire them to create their own.

The musical road

Innovation...creativity...ingenuity...

That's what I hope we inspire and equip kids to have in the After-School Academy. I hope that is combined with a good education from the school end. Then, one day, it will be a few kids from the After-School Academy getting together to come up with an idea like this:



The thought that went into this amazes me. I think about the skills it took to think about making music on a highway, figure out the spacing between the grooves, and come up with the exact miles per hour one has to drive for it to play the song right. And then, they had to convince the city to "give" them a stretch of highway and work with them to create the grooves.

Evidently, the "music" plays a little too loud. The community around Lancaster, CA isn't as thrilled about the innovation when it wakes them up throughout the night as the "music" plays over and over again. Evidently, the road will be paved over soon, if it hasn't been already.

If you're interested in knowing how they came up with the musical road, watch this:

I'm the mom!

This made me laugh...



I really thought I was the only one that said all of these things!

What brings us together?

Mark Johnson spent 10 years going all over the world making this film, Playing for Change: Peace through Music.

Unifying across cultures through feel-good music. These videos make me smile.

Stand by Me:


One Love:

Yes, we Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement

I just heard about this CD and had to buy it:

http://www.barackobama.com/music/

I can't quite describe the feeling I have as I listen to it. It takes me back to Denver. I had planned to look up each of the songs we heard at Invesco and purchase them. This makes it so much easier...and provides a more extensive selection.

What other campaign have you ever known of that has this much unsolicited participation? This campaign and what they have inspired in such a variety of races, ethnicities, socioeconomic levels, and geographic areas helps me remember that the United States of America belongs to ALL of us.

Despite all of that, all in all, this is just good music.

1. Eternity - Lionel Richie
2. Signed Sealed Delivered - Stevie Wonder
3. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
4. American Prayer - Dave Stewart
5. Battle Cry - Shontelle
6. Make It Better - Los Lonely Boys
7. Pride In The Name Of Love - John Legend
8. I Have A Dream - BeBe Winans
9. Am I All Alone - Suai
10. One Is The Magic # - Jill Scott
11. Love & Hope - Ozomatli
12. Looking East - Jackson Browne
13. Out of Our heads - Sheryl Crow
14. Promised Land - Malik Yusef with Kanye West and Adam Levine of Maroon 5
15. Hold On - Yolanda Adams
16. America The Beautiful - Keb' Mo'
17. America - Ken Stacey
18. Wide River - Buddy Miller


Through their musical contributions, the artists seek to mobilize voters in the final stretch before the November election. Many of the artists involved will also be volunteering their time to promote voter registration. For more information on registering to vote or requesting an absentee ballot, go to: www.VoteforChange.com