Turning back time....

Well, it took two ten and a half hour flights and crossing the international date line...but I may be experiencing real time travel.

My first visit to Australia has been an eye opener for sure. We all expect the usual G'Day and shrimp on the barbie routine and a kind of cowboy atmosphere, at least that's how Australia is often portrayed at home. I arrived to find none of that.

My tour is in Queensland - farther north than Melbourne. I'm staying in Brisbane, a medium sized river city, with an easy pace and collective smile. Even in the fall, it has a tropical feel and impossibly blue skies. The pacific ocean on this end is divine - more turquoise than in California and free from high rise buildings and residences - both are restricted to the other side of the street, keeping the beaches pristine.

It's always easiest traveling in an English-speaking country, but Australia is a cinch. One feels comfortable approaching just about anyone, and there are a surprising number of foreigners about - I had a big laugh with a young man from Milano who asked me for directions, and a lovely chat at the bus stop with a student from Sao Paulo, Brazil who is here to study English at University.

Brilliant cafes everywhere, lovely museums, even a man-made sandy beach in the middle of town...but time travel you say? 

Indeed. Wait until you see the school children in their uniforms looking as if they'd popped out of Eton....and these are public school kids - in shorts and knee socks, hats and skirts. Cool.

I rode the bus with the eighty-two year old mother of my concert promoter here, and three of those kids jumped up to give her a seat. When's the last time you saw that at home?

Here's one....on stage, every time I turn to the band to count off a tune, my pianist is smiling warmly at me. Really? That's amazing ...and unheard of. Don't get me wrong....I adore my cats at home, but this guy is one for the books.

Yesterday, in a cafe, a perfect stranger helped me by carrying my music case to the table, and then offered to draw me directions to the museum when he saw me looking at a google map. The optometrist re-fitted my crooked glasses for free.

Ok, you say, so there is kindness everywhere in the world, and indeed, there is. But maybe not so often all bunched up and visible everywhere you look. 

Glad I came. Hope to come back again soon and often. Also can't wait to get home to Tony and the puppies.

Now, I'm off to do a good deed. :)

Guns or Clarinets ..... May 2013

I am so moved by a piece I watched this week on NBC Nightly News. It's about a school in Roxbury, Massachusetts that was in dire straits. Violence ruled, and the environment resembled a prison. Kids could not even carry a backpack to school for fear they were carrying weapons.

Orchard Garden School had been labeled the "dropout factory." They have had five principals in seven years and nearly fifty percent of teachers each year did not return the following fall. Enter principal number six.

When Andrew Bott arrived, the school was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on security, and he decided to make a bold move - to reapportion the funds used for security into arts programs for his students - and to use those programs as a tool for success.

Orchard Garden is now termed the "turnaround school." While it was once labeled the worst performing school in Massachusetts, it is now boasts the fastest improvement rate in the state.

Surprised? Me, not so much. I have been beating this drum for decades. From my own experience, at age 13, the first time I sang for a school assembly, my life was changed forever. I was transformed from an insecure, fearful child into a musician. I knew that I had a talent and a gift. I knew that I was special.

What was even more important in that experience was the transformation I experienced by conquering my fears, taking a chance, taking to the stage. That is where real, measurable growth occurred. 

For many children - singing, acting, dancing, writing, filming, being on a debate team, or even working backstage has brought about the same profound transformation. It does not matter whether one chooses the arts as a career, or even whether one possesses an exceptional talent. The benefit is brilliant nonetheless.

Consistently, the very first programs that our schools cut for budgetary reasons are the arts. And yet, the Presidents' Council on the Arts has reported that the arts:

•  Improve math and English test scores

•  Improve self confidence and poise

•  Improve team work and problem solving skills

•  Reduce incidents of violence in schools

Kids who are immersed in arts programs are more likely to attend college. And they are more likely to succeed in life.

I am baffled that the arts still lack support in our elementary, middle and high schools. Recently in my home town, funds were approved for after school arts programs. Yet, the school superintendent instead used those funds to bus failing children to after school remedial programs. How many times must we remind ourselves that listening to Mozart improves math aptitude before we actually believe it?

From my perspective, if kids are not learning what they need to learn in six hours, they will not learn any more in seven. Depriving children an arts education robs them of an opportunity to greatly enrich their lives and improve their confidence and self esteem. But that's the least of it... it deprives them an opportunity to fully succeed, and that is something that every child deserves.

Please watch this wonderful story by clicking on the link:

NBC NEWS - Orchard Garden School

And, PLEASE support the arts in your local schools!

Music and Food....one and the same?

 

 When I was working in New York many years ago, I had a wonderful business manager, who was also a good friend, and a tennis pro. Go figure. Geoff could be quite inspirational at times and had a wonderful way of making complicated or challenging situations simple.

 We often talked about tennis as a great "tonic" for me. He called it a "now activity." And when one is engaged in a now activity, the problems of the world fall away. It's a kind of aerobic meditation. You can't be worrying about love or money or world affairs when someone is slamming an overhead at you. And, like many forms of meditation, the relief it provides is giving one a few moments or even seconds free from thought.

 

 

Music, it is said, "has charms to soothe a savage breast." (Congreve 1697) Well, in my opinion it certainly does, and so do tennis, cooking, and many other "now" activities.

When the music business becomes too intense, the best thing I can possibly do is sing. Or cook. Or, better yet, sing and cook for my friends with wonderful music playing in the background.

 

I'm pretty good in the kitchen and really love making beautiful and delicious food for friends and family. And lately I've been toying with creating recipes for my music. Enjoying a creme brulee while listening to "Je Cherche Un Homme" would be insanely sensual. I think those songs deserve a proper dinner companion! And what self respecting recipe would not enjoy a good song whilst being devoured?

Music and food go together perfectly, as do the fans who love them. I would make a bet that any passionate music lover could become a good cook, too, if given a little guidance. It's all in the "feel."

What would you cook while listening to "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast?" I've got my answer!!

A Note of Thanks...

 

Professionally, 2012 has been a wonderful year for me! Many excellent musical collaborations, concerts and workshops here and in Europe, and plans have been made for a BIG 2013.

 

On the home front, I could not be more blessed. Tony and are happy and healthy, with a lovely granddaughter, and a second grandchild on the way. Our extended family is all well and thriving. We are so proud of the kids and nieces and nephews, and we really get a thrill watching their lives unfold.

 

I am grateful for my wonderful friends and the depth and richness they bring to my life. And our four legged kids are a joy. Well, most of the time!

 

But, what about the rest of the world? I wonder on a regular basis what can be done to change the conditions on our troubled planet. How can I be a part of the healing? How can I help to change our collective consciousness from one of hate to one of love? Is there anything I can do to "enlighten" our world? What can any one person do?

 

Well, there's the obvious - donate to our favorite causes, volunteer at a shelter, offer a kind word or a helping hand to an elderly person.

 

But, can we really make a difference? I'm not always sure.

Here is what I do know. I know that when I live my life in gratitude, when I share my joy through music, when I act lovingly to everyone I meet, I feel good. And when I feel good, I am a force for good.

 While I have not yet succeeded in acting lovingly 100% of the time, I'm getting better at it. And I believe that it matters.

 

I imagine that if all my family and friends were to act lovingly, we'd create a little bubble of positive energy in Philadelphia. If all my friends and I in Maryland lived a life filled with gratitude, then there would be another little bubble of joy in Maryland.

 

You get my drift.

 

So, Thank you. I am so very grateful for the joy, abundance and love in my life. And the music, especially the music. Thank you.

 

I wish you all a blessed Christmas and Holiday Season, and a joyfilled New Year.

America The Beautiful...

Fall makes me nostalgic. It is a time of reflection, and I always look forward to time spent with close friends and family during the holidays.  An election year fall also makes me grateful to be an American.  As a witness - every day on the news - to the fear and hatred and violence suffered by people living in the Middle East, I thank God for the many blessings in my life.

There are many things I would change and many suggestions I have for improvement in our government, social systems, medical care and environmental policies. But I would not trade being an American for anything in the world.

I am proud of who we are as a people. As many of you know, I hurt my hip a few months ago and although I’m much better, I’m still limping a bit. And what I’ve noticed is that people who do not know me from Adam  - without exception – go out of their way to help. Doors are opened and held for me, offers to carry my groceries are frequent, and I sense a caring and kindness of heart in each person I meet.

I see people helping the elderly, kids and animals all the time. We have an almost parental manner in the way in which we look after one another. And in times of crisis, we are one. No questions asked.  We elevate our collective consciousness, lovingly and peacefully caring for one another. We realize who we are meant to be and we respond to a higher purpose. It may take a crisis for us to recognize what a great people we are, but really, it is happening in small ways every day.

So if we can embrace and love one another so naturally and easily when we are faced with a challenge, or when someone needs our help, why then do we just as easily forget all that and become so irrational when it comes to politics? American politics are seething. Our ability to discuss and learn from one another in this forum has vanished. It just doesn’t make sense.

While I have very strong political convictions, I will not allow hate to enter my heart.  Hate is simply a manifestation of fear. And if fear is the opposite of Love, then how can filling our consciousness with hate possibly serve the higher good of us all?

 As Americans, we have the freedom to disagree and not be tortured or murdered for our beliefs. We have the right to carry on a political discourse, to protest or to become activists for any cause we wish. This is a freedom that I cherish, and yet I am often afraid to express a political opinion for fear that even my oldest friends and closest family members will become enraged, demeaning and downright abusive if they disagree with me.

You can’t fight darkness, but you can turn on a light. The darkness that pervades our politics and undermines its process cannot be changed when we are consumed with hate and anger. It can only change with a shift from fear to Love in each of our hearts. One person at a time.  Awake from the collective nightmare we have created, and turn on your own light. Our great country deserves equally great Americans.

May God bless our President, Governor Romney and all the brave souls who are willing to serve our nation as elected officials.  Please light their way.

Michael Jackson said it well….

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror,

I’m asking him to change his ways.

And no message could have been any clearer...

If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and…Make a change!”

Feelin' Groovy!

I’ve been getting a strong message lately, and it’s not a new one: SLOW DOWN!   Actually, I’ve been getting different iterations of this message for about 30 years, and up until now I have totally ignored them.

I’m the kind of girl who runs full bore ahead until complete exhaustion forces me to stop. Most often it’s a cold or flu that puts me to rest for a few days, and even then, I can’t resist using the “down-time” to clean out closets, make lists, re-organize the kitchen…. well, you know the drill. It’s like this – God gives me a little tap-tap-tap on the shoulder (in the form of the aforementioned cold) and I brush him off time and again. I just refuse to listen.

Nothing I’ve tried so far helps me, because fundamentally I don’t want to slow down.  For about a year now, I’ve been studying the Alexander Technique (which is all about slowing down) and it is the hardest course of study I have ever undertaken.  I work so hard at this technique that I pretty much defeat its purpose. It’s hard to connect deeply with yourself when you are trying to be perfect at doing it.  Still, I continue the study and continue to grow.

Anyway,  God must have been sick and tired of being ignored, because last April, instead of a tap-tap-tap on the shoulder, he clocked me one – he knocked me out with a very tough lesson.  I was zooming along trying to be perfect at yoga when I over-stretched to such an extreme that I tore my hip labral cartilage and strained the hip flexor tendon.  Truly unbelievable.  Stubborn as always, rather than slow down and listen to my body, I charged ahead seeking a solution.

I spent months getting every treatment in the book and working hard at physical therapy while my symptoms only got worse.  Finally my good friend and muscle therapist said, “Maybe you need to rest, Erin.  This is a bad injury.  Rest it.”  I was at my wit’s end, in tears every five minutes from frustration, and so, finally, I listened.

While painful, exasperating and disturbingly slow to heal, this injury has taught me much.  I learned that healing begins in my mind.  That no amount of effort or determination can move things along faster than they are meant to go.  That until I surrender and am willing to accept my limitations, I will not find any peace. And most importantly, I learned that my decades old nagging message is crucial to  happiness and success.  Life is about the process, not the result.  Having an intense focus on achieving a positive outcome defeats its own purpose.

This summer has been an emotional roller coaster.  I am just now beginning to learn how to be still, how to rest and how to value my own internal deadlines more than the insane music business pressures that drive me.  I’m not fool enough to believe that I am finished with this lesson, but I can say that I’ve passed the first course:

Slow Down: 101 – 4 credits – B minus. Fall semester coming up.

Here is my new mantra:

Slow down, you move too fast.

You got to make the morning last.

Just kicking down the cobble stones.

Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.   (Paul Simon)

To Conncet, Disconnect or Reconnect....finding our balance.

I recently sent a “rant” email to a good friend…the topic was mobile devices  - where their use is prohibited at a club – a rule that is often ignored. We were specifically discussing the Kindle, which arguably can be considered a book, except that now, the Kindle Fire works like an iPad, - internet, apps and all.  So the fifteen-year-old sitting next to you is most likely not reading Harry Potter. If you allow the Kindle, than all hell breaks loose.

Is this what they call bonding?

The idea is that we go to a private golf course or swimming pool to relax;  most of my friends agree that use of mobile devices can be an annoyance. I find  mobile devices to be equally irritating in restaurants, planes, doctor’s offices and other public spaces.

I really like no cell-phone rules. It is a refreshing escape from the non-stop chatter. My over-stimulated multi-tasking brain needs a break from time to time, and it is certainly no hardship to step outside to take a call or check email if need be.

Don’t get me wrong, I am just as addicted as the next girl, but don’t you find our obsessive attachment to devices a little unsettling?  Like at the dinner table for starters. What happened to conversation? Is it now actually socially acceptable to dine with friends while texting? I recently had lunch with a friend who took a tech-support call for about a half hour during our meal. Huh? Next time that happens, I will get up and leave.

Is being so connected making us disconnected? Tony gently reminds me when he feels that I have become disconnected, and he’s usually right on. You cannot interact at any meaningful level with another person while you are checking your email. Is my cyber-life really that much more compelling than “real-time” with my family? Why do I reach for the iPad the second I open my eyes in the morning?

What concerns me most is that without thoughtful parental guidance, the next generation will miss out on “real-time” relationships, on doing only one thing at a time - like reading a book on vacation, taking a walk in the woods or witnessing the beauty of our environment. They are missing out on lazy summer afternoons swinging in a hammock, on long deep conversations – in person - about the meaning of life. Communication today is in bits and spurts….RU 4 real? BRB….checking Twitter. No wonder so many of our kids are diagnosed with ADHD….who can focus on anything for more than a minute when ten other things are beeping?

 

Lovely Colette

Still, the technology is awesome. I am in contact now with hundreds of friends…seeing pictures of weddings and grandbabies and hearing music, seeing performances that I’d have never been able to witness.  Recently, I reconnected with of my best and oldest friends.  I’d been hoping (and trying) to find her for 30 years (turns out she’s living in Asia), and last week she just popped up on Face Book! We had an amazing catch-up session on Skype.  She looks, sounds and is wonderful!  It is a HUGE gift for me to have Colette back in my life.

So I guess it’s all about striking a balance. It’s hard to stop eating potato chips, and it’s hard to turn off my iPhone, but I think that inhibiting both these impulses is equally important to my well-being.

Right now, it is a perfectly lovely lazy, sunny Sunday afternoon…I’m gonna take my first summer read* outside, sit under a big tree and soak in the beautifulness.  (BTW – it is a real book, not a Kindle edition. I like how it feels and smells.)  Later, I’d like to take a swim with my husband and throw a ball for my dog.

Signing off now ….all devices shutting down.

 *Check out this book:  “A Beautiful Medicine,” written by my good friend David Mercier. It is a lovely and enlightening work and I am savoring it.  Enjoy!

(Available on Amazon)