The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain, American writer
I think one of the worst things about this pandemic is its silence.
Tag Archives: music
Playing Music
If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music. ~Gustav Mahler, Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer and conductor
Dallas here.
She hasn’t written about it in a while, but Mama is still playing flute.
In fact, she plays nearly Every. Single. Day.
Sharing the Music
Play the music, not the instrument. ~Author Unknown
We’ve nearly completed our summer Community Band season, and it’s time to take stock of our progress.
Concert #3, the cold one. I’m in the first row.
Stirring Sounds
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach, German-Jewish poet and author
The Thunderer (Concert March) by John Philip Sousa
We’re midway through the season for Community Band now, and I find myself pondering its attraction.
Veni, Vedi, Vici*
Some people dream of success… while others wake up and work hard at it. ~Author Unknown
We did it!
Our symphonic band concert was earlier this week, and I’m still floating high on a puffy cloud of success.
Making Music Together
Son, dog, and music
Just three special things I love
Making my life full.
The idea behind Beloved, this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge theme, is to display a photo of something that is dearly loved. Well, gee, that’s not hard, is it? We all have something or someone we love. Here are the instructions if you’d like to join the fun. And before you ask, Dallas does not sing to my flute; he seems to have a preference for brass instruments!
Stepping into Bravery
Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow. ~Dan Rather, American journalist and TV news anchor
My flute teacher has been trying for weeks to tell me I’m ready to play in a group.
That a real band setting will teach me things I can’t learn by doing only private lessons.
Logic tells me she’s right, but oh my. I’ve been playing less than two years. Who’d want me in their band?
Learning Something New
Without music life would be a mistake. ~Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
I knew from a young age I was going to play the clarinet.
That was my mom’s instrument, and I thought following in her footsteps would win me a ticket to joining Band with my friends in fifth grade.
No dice.
Commencement Wrapup
Commencement Weekend at the University of Notre Dame has come and gone, and I’m left with the following observations:
1) Nobody does Mass better than ND. This weekend was Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church, and we had no less than 40 red-robed priests (plus two bishops) on the altar for the celebration!
2) Nobody does food better than the ND Food Services staff. Our Friday feast featured chef-carved beef, chicken, tilapia, and a dessert bar topped with a “2013” ice sculpture. On Saturday, they fed us grilled steak, chicken, shrimp, and made an elaborate display of round, two-layered white cakes with frosting — one for each family to enjoy!
3) Nobody offers better music than ND. Volunteers from the ND Band (minus the seniors) played at most events. And no, I didn’t do much more than tear up at “Pomp and Circumstance,” the Alma Mater, and the ND Victory March, so my desensitization helped!
4) Nobody offers more guidelines (that people don’t pay attention to) than ND. I was told no umbrellas or wide-brimmed hats that might interfere with people’s vision. I obeyed, but others did not. I was told to respect others’ views of the proceedings. I obeyed, but one woman stood right in front of me minutes before my son was to cross the stage to accept his diploma. When I politely reminded her, “I can’t see,” she jumped all over me, arguing that somebody was taking a photo with a camera phone and she didn’t want to block that. Obviously, it never crossed her mind to go behind the photographer, rather than block my view!
5) Nobody does unpredictable weather better than South Bend. Here I was, worried over cold and rain, when Sunday dawned brilliantly sunny and temps climbed to almost 90 degrees by afternoon. Good thing I remembered sunscreen!
I know some of you are also interested in what people were wearing. Comfort, indeed, was the better part of wisdom. And there were so many people milling around that I probably could’ve worn a grocery sack and not stood out!
In fact, I saw all manner of dress:
- Men in khaki shorts
- Men in flip flops and deck shoes
- Men wearing suits and ties
- Men wearing blue jeans
- Men wearing Polo shirts
- Women teetering on sky-high spike heels
- Women in cowboy boots
- Women wearing dressy sandals or flip flops
- Nobody wearing pantyhose
- Women wearing lace
- Women wearing sundresses, long and short
- Women wearing slacks and jackets
- Infants in carriers
- People in wheelchairs or on canes
- People speaking English or their native tongue
- People wearing sunglasses and ND ball caps
Me? For Saturday’s Mass, I wore a knee-length black pencil skirt with a black and white polka-dotted peplum jacket. On Sunday, I chose a pair of dress black slacks, a black and white jacket with blue-green flowers, and a matching blue-green knit shell.
It was a great celebration, but I’m glad the hoopla is over.
(I’m “going dark” for a week or so while I do some celebratory stuff with my son. Intrigued? Good, I love a mystery! I’ll post more when I get back. Love to ALL!)
