Being a “grown-up” often means coming to terms with those things we have control over and those that we do not. As I get older I find that I am less apt to pass judgement and more likely to surmise possibilities. A finite answer in a bad situation does not make bad news any easier to swallow. As humans we are imperfect, a truth that we do not always see in the naivety of our youth.

The NEC’s recent firing of Benjamin Zander has been on my mind a lot lately. When the news reports first came out I thought there must be more to the story and as more information came out it became more obvious that all parties involved were in a mess. School officials had discovered that Zander had knowingly hired a registered sex-offender to videotape NEC’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra over a period of at least 10 years.  There is some suggestion now that another department may have hired the videographer first but it truly surprises me that someone who is world-renowned for his work with children would find himself in such a situation. Zander provided a testimonial at the man’s sentencing in 1994 when he plead guilty to raping a boy and if he truly did provide it without a full understanding of what the charges are then shame on him.

I believe in restitution. I believe in forgiveness. I do not believe in taking a risk when children are involved.

I’m sad for so many reasons, but mostly because, while I can honestly say that I am able to reserve judgement on most things nowadays, this is one situation where I can’t. No matter the reason, this was just a really stupid, stupid, stupid thing for anyone to have done and let go on for so long. I’m sorry for Maestro Zander and all that this media storm has caused, I’m sorry for NEC and all of the future young musicians who will not have the opportunity to learn from one of the greatest educators ever.

Disappointment is a bummer and I’m really mad at him, but I’m not sorry to have known Benjamin Zander.

I remember the very first rehearsal I ever attended under the baton of Benjamin Zander in 1988. There had been an incredible sense of anticipation leading up to his visit as guest conductor at Interlochen Arts Academy, where I attended my junior and senior years of high school 1988-90. As I sat in my seat at the back of the second violin section at 8am that first morning, I was struck by the red face and white hair, but it was his enunciation (moistly British) and his energetic eyes that captured me. He seemed to be looking right at me and telling me that I could make a difference. We all enjoyed conversations outside of rehearsal, stories and bits of wisdom shared during meals, and a general sense of nurturing throughout the week.

Zander, as we often referred to him, has an incredible effect on young musicians. He inspires more than just great music making, he inspires the desire to know more, learn more and expect more.

This is what makes a great educator.

Sadly, it does not make one super-human.

 

 

*This blog and this blog post represent my own opinions and are not a reflection of the opinions of any organizations that I am employed by or associated with.

Being a “grown-up” often means coming to terms with those things we have control over and those that we do not. As I get older I find that I am less apt to pass judgement and more likely to surmise possibilities. A finite answer in a bad situation does not make bad news any easier to swallow. As humans we are imperfect, a truth that we do not always see in the naivety of our youth.

The NEC’s recent firing of Benjamin Zander has been on my mind a lot lately. When the news reports first came out I thought there must be more to the story and as more information came out it became more obvious that all parties involved were in a mess. School officials had discovered that Zander had knowingly hired a registered sex-offender to videotape NEC’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra over a period of at least 10 years.  There is some suggestion now that another department may have hired the videographer first but it truly surprises me that someone who is world-renowned for his work with children would find himself in such a situation. Zander provided a testimonial at the man’s sentencing in 1994 when he plead guilty to raping a boy and if he truly did provide it without a full understanding of what the charges are then shame on him.

I believe in restitution. I believe in forgiveness. I do not believe in taking a risk when children are involved.

I’m sad for so many reasons, but mostly because, while I can honestly say that I am able to reserve judgement on most things nowadays, this is one situation where I can’t. No matter the reason, this was just a really stupid, stupid, stupid thing for anyone to have done and let go on for so long. I’m sorry for Maestro Zander and all that this media storm has caused, I’m sorry for NEC and all of the future young musicians who will not have the opportunity to learn from one of the greatest educators ever.

Disappointment is a bummer and I’m really mad at him, but I’m not sorry to have known Benjamin Zander.

I remember the very first rehearsal I ever attended under the baton of Benjamin Zander in 1988. There had been an incredible sense of anticipation leading up to his visit as guest conductor at Interlochen Arts Academy, where I attended my junior and senior years of high school 1988-90. As I sat in my seat at the back of the second violin section at 8am that first morning, I was struck by the red face and white hair, but it was his enunciation (moistly British) and his energetic eyes that captured me. He seemed to be looking right at me and telling me that I could make a difference. We all enjoyed conversations outside of rehearsal, stories and bits of wisdom shared during meals, and a general sense of nurturing throughout the week.

Zander, as we often referred to him, has an incredible effect on young musicians. He inspires more than just great music making, he inspires the desire to know more, learn more and expect more.

This is what makes a great educator.

Sadly, it does not make one super-human.

 

 

*This blog and this blog post represent my own opinions and are not a reflection of the opinions of any organizations that I am employed by or associated with.

Last spring at the Disney Social Media Moms conference, we were introduced to Georgia Stitt and Susan Egan. Actually, Georgia and I actually go “way back”. We were in the same undergraduate class at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. We survived 8am freshman theory classes with Dr. Rose. Just imagine 8am at the exact opposite end of campus from where you live… and it was required of all incoming freshman. All 40 of us. We got know each other very well!

After Georgia and Susan presented/performed, a Disney cast member grabbed and brought me back to reunite with Georgia. I think I cried, and I’m pretty sure I babbled about how cool it was to see them up there. I always get a little crazy when I see my fellow music school friends doing great things. It is not an easy road and when I see where so many of them have ended up there is a sense of pride. Not the patronizing kind,but the awesome kind.

Even more awesome than hanging out with a Disney Princess? (Susan was the original Belle on Broadway). We pushed Susan over the edge and onto Twitter that afternoon, and she literally took to it like a fish to water! Georgia had been blogging since way before I had. In fact, her blog was the first blog I’d ever read. Now the two of them publish Glamour and Goop – a definite must read about two Broadway-types continuing to build their musical careers while raising their families.

Today, November 15th, Susan releases her new album, The Secret of Happiness, and Georgia Stitt produced the album and wrote many of the songs. It’s a compilation of songs that will speak to so many women who have known the joy and humor in that crazy transition from whole woman to whole mother. That phase of your life where you wake up one day and your entire outlook on life has turned upside down. If you’ve ever thrown a cardigan on to cover up the cookie drool stain on your shoulder, if you’ve ever cried the ugly cry of exhaustion while smiling and thinking you’d jump in front of a train to save the screaming creature looking back at you, if you think this sounds familiar then you’ll giggle, cry, and smile your way through this album. And if you should catch yourself tossing your hair, looking in the mirror, and belting out the last few lines of “All things in Time”… once or five times, well then, you are not alone-just sayin’

For me, the absolute BEST part of this album is Susan’s cover of a song we all know well. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a gutsy song for any artist to take on. I mean really, who doesn’t know the song, who doesn’t have the Simon and Garfunkle version burned into their memory? I love it – I love Susan’s version of this song, in fact I love it more than Simon and Garfunkle. Her voice creates the most perfect ethereal sound (in harmony no less; I’m assuming there was a bit of studio work involved there!) and truly, my daughter dances around like a princess on a cloud when it’s on, which is often, since Susan and Georgia are now totally on my play list.

You can, and should buy Susan Egan’s new album at Amazon or if you order from LMLMusic.com and enter the promo code MOMBLOG, Susan is giving the fabulous a 20% discount.

A HUGE Congratulations to Susan Egan and to Georgia Stitt! Georgie, just remember I knew you WAY before the drool and goop!

 

Check out the music video for “Nina Doesn’t Care” …..

Have you ever caught yourself fantasizing or daydreaming? Do you dare to imagine things that might never become reality? It’s harmless fun, really. Allow yourself to feel and experience. Be courageous and brash. Let your mind wander and see where it goes. This is where I like to go….

I’m in Maine and I’m living in a cabin about 100 feet from the lake. I’m spending the summer working at the music camp I went to every summer throughout my childhood. My bedroom window looks out over the water and the porch is where I sit every afternoon watching my kids swim. In the evenings I sit and write until I feel ready to drift off to sleep.

I know this place as if it were my home. I know the sounds. I know the smells. I know the people. The people “get me” and that feels good.

I know the sounds of young people practicing. The sounds of careful confidence and young minds exploring and growing.

I know the feel of the wet grass as I walk up the hill to breakfast in the morning. I can feel the sun on my face and in my eyes as the flag is raised and the bugle sounds.

I know the sound of the orchestra as I sit in rehearsal. The smell of my violin. The vibrations under my chin and inside my soul. I like the sound of pencils being dropped on metal stands.

I know the sound of the milkshake machine. I know the taste of a Moose Tracks Shake, the resistance of my spoon digging through the chunks of caramel chocolates at the bottom.

I know the sounds of the night. The loons call back and forth from one end of the lake to the other and several times a week I listen as a train passes on the other side of the lake. Each night I fall asleep to the lake water lapping against the rocks outside my window.

This is the place I belong. This is where I feel whole.

I am whole, and it is so.

 

 

 

As I sit here on my porch, looking out over the lake, I hear the sounds of the future coming from our outdoor performance venue and the practice cabins nearby. I’m the Director of Marketing and PR for the New England Music Camp in Sidney, ME and I happen to know that the kids here will go on to become successful in whatever profession they choose to pursue as adults. I know this because I spent every summer here as a teenager and have seen friends go on to successful careers, not just in music, but also as leaders in the medical field, technology, graphic arts and a host of other professions. So many of the opportunities that I have had in my life have come as a result of my involvement in music.

Amidst the debate on how to improve school performance despite educational budget cuts, arts education programs are being slashed from the core curriculum in many of our nation’s public schools. There seems to be a very clear focus on the end result (test scores) over the actual process of learning. Children who learn to play an instrument develop critical thinking skills, spatial/relational skills, and learn how to collaborate. These are all essential skills for success in any discipline or profession.

I was really happy to learn that Quaker Chewy Granola Bars has joined forces with the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock and recording artist Nick Jonas to make music education more accessible in schools across the nation. Little Kids Rock focuses on ensuring every public school student has an opportunity to experience music education. The arts are an essential part of any education and many of those children who are not cheated of a music education will be the ones who go on to cure disease, explore space, and negotiate peace in the world.

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars is teaming up with recording artist Nick Jonas to launch a new singing competition for kids. The Quaker Chewy Superstar Search, was created to give parents of kids ages 8 – 14* a platform to showcase their kid’s vocal talents. Four finalists of the Quaker Chewy Superstar Search will each receive a $1,000 cash prize. The Grand Prize winner will get to record a song produced by Nick Jonas,  an online music video, a contract with Jonas Group Management and $5,000 in cash.

The Quaker Chewy Superstar Mobile Recording Studio will be making stops at select cities across the country to give kids the chance to record a singing performance of one of 4 pre-selected songs and have that superstar ‘moment’ they deserve. The tour will make nine stops including:

June 9: New York City metro area	July 9 and 11: Atlanta metro area
June 11– 12: New Jersey metro area	July 18 – 20 Dallas metro area
June 17 and 19: Cleveland metro area	July 26 and 28: Denver metro area
June 23 and 25: Chicago metro area	August 2 – 4: Los Angeles metro area
July 2 and 4: Nashville metro area

 

Visit www.ChewySuperstar.com for exact locations, dates and times.

Quaker Chewy Superstar MP3 player and Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Giveaway!!

To help spread the word, Quaker has asked that I host a giveaway. One lucky BB reader will win an MP3 player and Chewy Granola Bars!

Enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post that answers the following question: How has arts education or the lack of it impacted your life?
• Like New England Music Camp and Quaker Chewy Granola Bars on Facebook.
• Follow @banteringblonde and @QuakerChewy

Readers must leave a separate comment for each entry. Must enter by 12am EST 7/21/11.

 

*I have been compensated for this post. All opinions are my own based on my own experiences.

*An open letter to the gentleman I have dubbed “Bravi Guy” from Tom Service’s On Classical Blog at the British publication the Guardian.

Dear “Bravi Guy“,

Seriously? For Realz? “Bravi”, before Simon Rattle has even contemplated cutting the umbilical chord from a 90 minute symphony of genius that culminates with perhaps the longest, most seductive, D major chord ever composed? (Actually, Shostakovich probably wins for longevity but for dramatic purposes I’m gonna stick with this line of interrogation). WAIT a minute, are you telling me that you were coherent enough at the end of a Berlin Philharmonic performance of Mahler 3 to utter the proper form of an Italian word, at the London performance of a German orchestra?

You suck, ass-hat! You do know that you sorta ticked a few people off, right?

Actually, I don’t think you suck and you definitely are not an ass-hat. You did shatter Tom Service’s and many other very serious and educated classical music lovers’ rapture, though. If I’d been there I would have lost consciousness because that is what happens to women when you shout “Bravi” prematurely. If I’d been on stage I would have sought you out afterward because you are my audience and I want to get into your head.  I’d be nice but I probably wouldn’t be able to resist telling you that your knickers are so stained that some Bantering Blonde American, like myself, was even inspired to write about you. Epic!

Let me spell it out for you, “Bravi Guy“, we just don’t vocalize approval until the conductor and musicians start breathing again. It’s what we musicians strive for all our lives, that explosive shriek that signifies a loss of self control, but it isn’t something that people “in the know” actually do! Perhaps you had a gal, or guy, sitting next to you that you wanted to impress. Perhaps you have ADD and a small bladder like me and can’t sit still or shut your mouth for 90 minutes without a pee break. Either way, I love you. I get you. Just don’t be the first one to breath next time, OK? We’re Cool.

Love,

Dear Readers, Allow me to elaborate…..

Having “retired” from performing and teaching violin professionally about 10 years ago, I’ve been out of the trenches for quite some time but my love, involvement and understanding of the value music lends to communities has grown infinitely. I work in marketing and pr now and my focus on music and fine arts has been incredibly rewarding. The fact is, though, I was an elitist classical music snob until my senior year in college when my teacher Connie and her husband, Edgar Meyer, opened my eyes to how my own insecurities had cheated me of an entire world of different types of music and music lovers. Recently, via Facebook, I reconnected with a former conductor/professor that had more influence on my life than he is probably even aware of, John Morris Russell. Observing Maestro Russel’s incredible community involvement and audience engagement (just as it always was as a conductor, professor, and arts advocate at Vandy) has had me thinking more and more about the role of audience engagement in the future of our greater musical community…..

Yes, if you had yelled “Bravi” at the end of Mahler 3…. I’d have been pissed. Twenty years ago I would have had a good pow-wow with my fellow music pals and rehashed what an uneducated, unenlightened jerk you were for destroying such a perfect moment. I would have agreed that it was “musical hooliganism that’s psychopathic, narcissistic and destructive.” as Tom Service stated. However, today, if I’d been there, I still might call you a narcissistic ass, but because you care and you obviously dig the concert hall, I’d court you, I’d thank you for supporting the orchestra and suggest that perhaps your enthusiasm for Mahler and box seats could translate into a major donation to the orchestra to support outreach programs that will someday inspire others to be vocally overwhelmed at inappropriate times, while simultaneously funding programs and employing musicians, or better yet educating future audiences so that they might also be entranced, or at the very least be aware of the etiquette called for in the moments following romantic bliss, when listeners are reveling in the musical orgasm… er moment.

At the end of the day, who am I to judge whether this gentleman is a “wanker” or someone who truly lost his senses and couldn’t contain his enthusiasm? Let me tell you, “Bravi Guy” is not likely to show his face, or his patronage, in London again anytime soon, and if you think his ecstatic outburst means he loved it enough to look past the haters and fly to Berlin anytime soon, then you might want to take a look in the mirror and remember the last note you biffed in front of hundreds of people. Remember the red hot burning sensation of self conscious mortification you felt, even although 80% of your audience thought your performance was flawless? Take that feeling and publish it on The Guardian for people all over the world to see and debate. It doesn’t matter what your name is or who you are, you are the “Bravi Guy” and your suspect love of music has just been reduced to blog fodder. The comments say that people like you aren’t worthy of sitting in our audience. People like you should stay home and never be let out again; you evil, box holding, season ticket patron who yells “Bravi“, YOU should be FINED!!…… is this really the message we want to be sending to our patrons?

So many of us have been blessed with amazing experiences and relationships with incredible musicians who have changed our lives, but why do we think that this makes us more deserving than anyone else? If anything, it is our debt to pay it forward and to enrich our audiences no matter who they are. I’m not suggesting compromising artistic values or expectations, I’m simply saying that Bravi Guy is out there and these things happen, so move on. If you are really that irked then get some balls and take Bravi Guy out for a beer and find out what makes him tick.

Why does someone who can’t/won’t/doesn’t take the time to revel in the reverb spend A LOT of money to come listen to you perform?

Ask him. He’ll tell you because he likes you and admires you and supports you. This is your “Bravi Guy”, get to know him and he just might stop spoiling your moments and start bringing his buddies-and advising them to lay off the “Bravi”.

What do you think? Should Bravi Guy just stay home?

*disclaimer: my opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my clients, or for that matter, former teachers/conductors or professors.