La Via Campesina

I just finished reading "The Value of Nothing" by Raj Patel, a very interesting read about how corporations are destroying the economies of some countries as well as the environment. However, based on this book all is not lost. There is an organization of peasants and it is world wide, La Via Campesina which is trying to make things right and help those who do not seem to help themselves.
Check the web-site and read the book. Time to start thinking about the world a little differently and start examining how some corporations are ignoring the problems that they are creating.
We need to start asking questions.

Cleaning has started!

Yesterday, we started cleaning the mess. Hard to believe that it has started. We should take before and after pictures but then again, I don't want to end up on the Hoarder show. All kidding aside, we are not that bad but there are areas that are not good. It is amazing how much stuff is accumulated when you are looking after relatives. It is hard to look after them and clean up their things at the same time. It is easier to just put things in the basement and hope that they will clean themselves up. Strange but the things just sit there and don't move.
We cleaned up two shelves on the book shelf in the office area. We had computer material from over 10 years ago and with computer material that is a long time. It was definitely time to dispose of it. We recycled a great deal; I will take some material to Crippled Civilians.
Maybe when all the cleaning is done,I will take some pictures.
Hope that you do not have the cleaning that I have.

Friday and last chamber music performance for seniors

Friday was the last performance of the summer chamber musicians. This summer the students performed at 5 residences and hospitals, one concert featuring a pianist and this coming Wednesday, some of the musicians will help at a fund-raiser. They have been busy. It has been nice to get messages from some of the students letting me know how much they appreciated the opportunity to play.
Time to plan for the coming year. Was thinking that I will take students to perform on PA days. Will be a wonderful opportunity for them. They give and seniors and patients enjoy their contributions.
What a win-win situation.

Lost and found on the bus

Today, I went to Toronto General Hospital with my student performers. As usual we went to catch a bus to go downtown. One of the students picked up a paper and started to do the crossword in a paper that she picked up. She was happily doing the crossword and then we got off the bus and boarded the Subway. It was then that she realized that she had left her music on the bus. Luckily it is photocopied, I carry the originals. She did not have her piano music unfortunately but that was not something we could anything about. Luckily, we had plenty of music and the performances in the cardiac ward and psychiatrict wards went well.
Then after a snack, it was time to head home. We retraced our route taking the subway and deciding to go back on the same bus route. We got on the bus and noticed the same messy seat, one of the musicians looked in the corner and found the piano music folded. The folder and clarinet music were missing but the piano music was there. What were the odds of getting on the same bus? This is a very busy bus route and we just took the first bus.
Too bad that the folder and clarinet music were missing but I will copy them tomorrow.
Very strange!

Dinosaurs in Edmonton Sewers

Imagine you are working in the sewers of Edmonton and you discover a dinosaur tooth. That is what happened to a pair of sewer workers last week. They discovered a tooth 70 to 72 millions years old. Now that is a discovery!
Ryley Paul and Aaron Krywiak were jackhammering their way through a sewer, 30 metres below an Edmonton street when they unearthed a well-preserved tooth.
"I was pretty surprised. I heard from other people working here 30 years that they have never found anything," said Mr. Krywiak, 21, a member of Edmonton's drainage crew. Perhaps, he was being more careful or it was an accident that he didn't pulverize the tooth. What a wonderful find.
Donald Brinkman, director of preservation and research with the Royal Tyrrell Museum, said that while it is not uncommon to find dinosaur fossils in the Edmonton area, bones are not usually found nine storeys below a city street.
Both Mr. Paul and Mr. Krywiak are going to continue working but very carefully. Hopefully, they will find more evidence of life from over 70 million years ago!

Waist Watching

As I age, I find that watching my weight is an interesting practise but seems to be all that I can do. It has crept up during the past number of years. Not alarmingly but up none the less. A recent study indicates that weight is not what I need to watch but how much mass is "dunloping over my belt". Thank goodness that has not happened yet but I do want to keep the weight under control for health reasons. It seems that there is a greater risk of disease if I gain more weight.
Will watch my weight and try to exercise more and as I have said for health reasons and also so that I can move around the tennis court. Need to be agile since I do not have height in my favour, have to run down those balls.

Chinese Traffic Jam

My goodness, can you imagine sitting in a traffic jam for days. Beijing has had a traffic jam for 10 days. Some of the drivers have been in this jam for days on end. My goodness, China has not figured out how to deal with growth in a serious way. 20 million people is no longer a village and it needs serious roads.
It was interesting but one quote that occurred more than once was that the drivers did not want to use toll roads so were willing to be caught in this jam.
Area residents suggested setting up concerts for the drivers. They also gouged the hungry drivers charging them 4 times the value of the food.
I will never look at a traffic jam the same way.

Work to be done

Checked when I last posted and wondered what have I been doing? Well one of the things that has taken my time is working with students who are playing chamber music for seniors and shut-ins in hospitals. Today they are going to perform at Sunnybrook K-Wing. These students are outstanding and while I live by the philosophy "keep them busy keep them off the street", these students would not be on the street, they would be doing something else to occupy their time. I have no concerns about them. Although after last night's performance at a church, some of them were going home to watch America's got Talent. Now that is an interesting choice.
The other thing that I am doing besides playing tennis and playing music myself, I play in an octet/dectet which is going to perform tonight, I am working on booking home repairs. Finally booked the roof work that we need and then it is time for the tree work and painting. There is always something that needs our attention. Amazing that abandoned homes stay standing at all.
Hope that everyone is doing well. Time to practise for tonight.

The Mail

Today, I received an e-mail from a member of the summer chamber group that I work with each summer about missing music. For about 7 years at least, I have worked with students on chamber music. They prepare music and then go out and perform at seniors homes and hospitals. Last week, because we were not going to meet, I copied some music for 5 of the members and mailed it a week ago Monday. It seems that the mail is very slow. One of the group received the music last Wednesday which was not unexpected. One of the others received her music this morning and then the others had not received their music. I recopied the music this morning before meeting the students.
My goodness, but the mail is slow!

Saturday in August

My goal has been to post everyday. You are wondering what happened to Friday. I am as well but I figured out this morning that I accidentally posted to my trio site. Have to be more careful when posting, I might post to the wrong blog again in the future but will try to be more careful. Those people looking for music must wonder when I do that.
Today is the day that I send in our dining request for a wedding-is it unusual to ask guests what they would like to eat? Nice gesture but do no recall having that happen before.
Going to perform at a senior's residence this afternoon. Should be nice although I have been told that it is going to be very hot. Will see.
Then I am meeting with a former student who is now in medical school. She is going to be at Sick Kids Hospital soon for a spell and would like me to help with one of her projects and also wants my help with publicity for the band that she is involved with. It is a Saturday morning band for former high school students. They would like the band to grow but are at a stand still for the moment.
Later in the evening, we will finish off with dinner with friends which should be nice.
A good day all in all.
Hope that your day is good.

Work?

Time to book the roofing. We had 5 estimates done. The 6th company went on vacation two weeks ago and we have not heard from him since. Strange time to go away, I would recommend the winter when there is no roofing or send some of your staff away but not all.
I think that we have asked all the questions and are ready to start. Then it is time for the painting. My, it is hard to get all the things in order. Each roofer has some little difference that makes you wonder if you are making the right decision.
The painting will take a few days and I certainly do not want to be sitting around waiting for all the work to be done in fact depending on when the works happens can not be sitting around.
What to do.?
More projects underway. Will list them later.

Music and Relaxation

A bubble bath, an episode of American Idol, a hot stone massage, and NFL-packed Sunday afternoons are just a few things we cherish and indulge in to relieve tension and stress. Picking up your Les Paul or popping in the old standby Beatles album Abbey Road are just as essential, if not more effective, in helping to momentarily escape everyday pressures we can't avoid.
A groundbreaking 2005 study published by research journal Medical Science Monitor showed for the first time, that playing a musical instrument can reverse the human body's response to stress at a very basic level. In the study, Dr. Barry Bittman of the Mind-Body Wellness Centre in Meadville, Pennsylvania, found that a group of people who participated in an introductory group keyboard class called the Clavinova Connection by Yamaha, had greater levels of stress reduction than those that simple read newspapers or magazines of their choice.
Some positive health benefits of listening and playing music include the lowering of blood pressure, assistance in digestion elevation in mood and the production of heart-healthy chemicals that protect your ticker.
Besides inducing a state of euphoria, similar to what people with addictive behaviours seek to receive from a game of blackjack or a glass of beer, playing a musical instrument also relaxes the inner lining of blood vessels, improving overall health in a person's cardiovascular system.
Dr. Mike Miller, a research cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, studies the effects of happiness on people's hearts and recently discovered that music may be one of the best destressors out there.
In order to get the most out of playing music and listening to it, mix it up a bit. Doctors say playing the same song over and over reduces its positive health benefits. Try learning a new melody, or discovering a new artist or genre, in order to get the most out of your destressing routine.
Guess, I need to destress later today. Have a performance to prepare for. Always trying to look after my health.

International Festival Institute at Round Top

Apparently a very small town in Texas has caught the attention of Toronto Star, Music Critic, William Littler and that is because it is home to the International Festival Institute. James Dick, a prize winning pianist at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow wanted to establish a place far from the crowd where young musicians could spend several weeks passing through the challenging pre-professional period between school and career.
Continent-wide auditions bring fewer than 100 of the aspiring professionals to Round Top each summer. They are all on full scholarships and are coached by leading figures. They play chamber music and participate in weekly concerts as the Texas Festival Orchestra.
Architecture critics call the place a musical Disneyland. Dick prefers to think of it as an antidote to the current generation's lack of historical imagination, a place where the present is connected to the past, where young people are made aware of yesterday as they prepare for tomorrow.
This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the Internation Festival Institute at Round Top. It began in 1971 with a few concerts in the town square and students billeted with local families.
It has grown after a long and arduous basis. The founder and others built as funds permitted.
This is a reminder that things can change.
I hope to get to Round Top on a future visit.

Music Boy

When PS 37 in Jamaica, Queens, was strapped for cash and could not longer afford to pay the band teacher, an unlikely candidate stood up and took the baton. An 11-year-old pianist and saxophone player, sixth-grader Paul Sheriff started conducting the school band more than a year ago. This band now plays tunes from popular artists Bob Marley, Ben E. King and Bow Wow.
"Music makes this school more alive," says Sheriff, leader of the Cynthia Jenkins School Band. "The school is better with music in it."
Budget constraints in the 600-student school forced administrators to abandon their music program. Last December, Sheriff was acting out while students were lining up in the auditorium. to keep him busy, parent coordinator Joan Estick-remembering that Sheriff played the piano-told him to play the "Pledge of Allegiance."
It soon became a morning routine. Within a few weeks, Paul looked into starting a band with his friends.
About a dozen children meet at lunch and after school to practise with a band made up of piano, drums, sax, trumpet and other instruments. The band has played at a district wide concert at nearby PS 147 and the school's multicultural festival. Next, the band plans to perform at graduation and career day.
This is wonderful but the enrollment of the school is 600 what about all the others. I understand that some of the students are very young and not ready to play a band instrument but that does not mean that they could not benefit from some music. Interesting that the article and school feel that this is a solution to the issue.

Orchestras lend a helping hand

American orchestras, inspired by the film The Soloist staring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, mobilized to feed the hungry. The movie which I have mentioned in the past tells the true story of a friendship between a Los Angeles Times columnist (played by Downey) and a homeless, schizophrenic Julliard-trained cellist (Foxx).

At least 163 orchestras participated in food drives before the movie's recent release. Participating orchestras included New York Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The food was distributed to local assistance organizations associated with the group Feeding America, which provides food to more than 25 million Americans a year.

"The story of The Soloist reminds us that classical music has the power to sustain spirits and change lives, even under the most difficult circumstances," says Jesse Rosen, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, a national service organization that organized many of the food drives.

Downey Jr. is also a singer, songwriter, and pianist, who has released an album, The Futurist. Before his acting career, Foxx played the piano professionally, and studied classical piano and music theory on scholarship at San Diego's US International University.

Amazing what orchestras can and could do and what music can do for people.

Piano Delivery

With all the relief efforts and aid that was needed in communities affected by Hurricane Katrina, Central New Yorker, Norm Andrzejewski, a former New Orleans resident couldn't sit on the sidelines.
Founding Operation Southern Comfort, Andrzejewski travelled down to the Gulf Coast 19 times,helping to rebuild homes in Mississippi and Louisiana. One his most important deliveries was a collection of 13 pianos bought from a Syracuse music store that was closing.
Hauling the large shipment down to high schools and churches in county-sized St. Bernard Parish, where only one piano in the school district survived the flooding, was a worthwhile endeavour.
Flood waters cut off access to life's necessities for residents for quite some time after the hurricane, and with several big chain stores gone, the arrival of the pianos seemed like a luxury.
"I was on the delivery for the last six pianos and I was able to meet the principals, music teachers and kids," say Andrzejewski. "I had the honour to hear the teachers play and the kids sing and it was just beautiful."
Wonderful how the things that seem less important can have such a wonderful impact on people's lives.

Music and Emotions

According to researchers from Northwestern University, musicians are better attuned to detecting emotions in sound.
Their study provides the first biological evidence that musical training improves a person's ability to recognize emotion in speech or sound. The more years of musical experience the musicians has and the earlier they began their training, the better their nervous system's ability to process emotion in sound.
Researchers observed the subjects' brain stem responses to pitch, timing and timbre of a scientifically tested sound. Participants, aged 19 to 35, listened to a 150 millisecond fragment of a distressed baby's cry. Electrodes measured their responses on whether musicians or non musicians could zero in on the complex emotional part of the sound as opposed to the more basic element of the sound. The music-minded members of the study fared well, possessing "finely tuned" auditory systems.
According to another study of music recognition conducted by Richard Ashley, associate professor at Northwestern, musicians might even be able to sense emotion in sounds after hearing them for a mere 50 milliseconds.
Study author Dana Strait believes musical training may help people Asperger's syndrome and autism better identify emotion in others.
Interesting where studies are leading researchers and helping subjects.

Texans are friendly

Recently, we got back from a trip to Texas. I must say that small town Texans are very friendly. Everywhere, I went they would say hi in a very sincere way. When I went out for a walk in the noon day sun, three cars stopped to offer me a ride. These were all nice people, some were women and they were concerned about me being out in the sun.
I have never thought about Texans very much but must say that the small town people are very nice.
When I went shopping they could not do enough. Our clerks in Toronto could learn a thing or two from them.
Will report more after I down load, Jesus in Cowboy boats and the Eiffel Tower.