Here’s what I need to inspire me

I wonder if you’ve had an experience where a leader (conductor, boss, teacher, manager, coach) tried to inspire you to give more in order to achieve their own goal of helping others. Service is always central to me as a

Facing the Great Critic

The spirit of the Great Critic accosts me as I imagine stepping back into the Eastman School of Music. From a huge Wizard of Oz-like face I hear these words echoing off the marble walls: “WHO ARE YOU? WHAT GREATNESS

National Anthem of Love

I was invited to arrange and perform the Star Spangled Banner for a Portland Trailblazers basketball game on St. Valentine’s Day with Carin Miller, principal bassoonist for the Oregon Symphony. Being the day that it was, I wondered how could

Becoming Tough

Becoming Tough

I have always had difficulty relating to the word tough. As a boy full of sensitive feelings, I never gravitated to fighting or dangerous stunts. The risk of hurt was not worth the effort to be daring with my body

Wonder what my new favorite word is?

Wonder what my new favorite word is?

It’s a simple word that opens up possibility. It’s a major part of inquiry based learning. It opens up the inner experience, which is key for developing an inside-out approach to whatever we do. The word is… There it is.

Following Brightness: My TEDx Experience

Following Brightness: My TEDx Experience

An hour ago I gave my first TEDx talk. I wish you could have been there, in the sold out black box theater at Lewis & Clark Colelge, packed in with the 80 eager listeners. The title of my talk

Music, the Heart, and Hope

Tuning my share of 150 elementary string players before their joint rehearsal the other day was the perfect opportunity to practice sharing kindness and love from a relaxed heart. It kept me calmly focused, and definitely helped me perceive one

The Choice to Survive or Thrive

When my daughter was born, I learned about FTT (failure to thrive), which refers to decelerated or arrested physical growth in infants. But how about decelerated or arrested spiritual growth? Am I thriving and happy? Am I growing? Or am I

Inspired Music – a Pathway to Higher Consciousness

I love the clean slate of January: a chance to set intentions and renew my sense of purpose. Fueled with energy to change the “old” by bringing in the “new,” I’m ready to clarify, expand, and uplift. For me, 2019 will

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