Many of us have endured teachers and conductors (maybe even family and friends) who used subtle or overt shaming to motivate or change. If you feel brave enough to share, I’m gathering examples that perhaps were meant to be harmless,
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
Sound listens.
My friend lay face up on the pad in front of me for a sound healing session, seeking to ease the dark pit of grief from her mother’s passing. I told her that I had no magic notes to make
Hitting Rock Bottom – and finding my bedrock
Three weeks ago I faced the lifelong fear of being completely alone. I finally hit rock bottom. And then a week later as I came out of sedation for a hernia repair surgery, I knew that my life had just
My Cello Broke Open
It was a nightmare dream. I had loaned my cello to a student, and they brought it back to me broken to bits. I mourned over the broken scroll and cracked top, wailing at the misfortune. Right before I bolted
Back to Work!
In the space of the next month, I will be performing onstage with the Oregon Symphony (Mahler Symphony No. 2! complete with masked chorus!), at Pacific University and The Old Church with Kevin Lefohn, the violinist from the Bodhi Trio,
The Shift from Fear to Love in Music and Education
Musicians have lost jobs, performances, and the joy of ensemble. But now that everything has been taken away from us, what more do we have to fear? This moment is an amazing opportunity to shift the direction of music.
Claim the Gift of Opportunity
It’s almost August and I still have no idea if I’ll be returning to teach at 2 schools in September. Do I choose to see this as an obstacle or an opportunity? For too many years I have been stuck
Why Do Humans Hike?
My daughter and I took a beautiful 6-mile hike last weekend to Ramona Falls at the base of Mt. Hood. On the way, she asked, “Why do humans hike?” I said that we hike to satisfy our need as humans
Forests, Waterfalls and Racism
I spent yesterday in the church of Nature. I drove out past Silverton, Oregon to Shellburg Falls and hiked 1.5 miles through towering canopies of vine maples to waterfalls of purification and renewal. Connection. I felt supremely connected to all