When the Cards Aren't Fair, Change the Game.
I type these words on a humid summer afternoon. I am sitting on a screen porch and there is a New England thunderstorm going on. The breeze has that organic smell of the earth and dirt, while the rain is soothing, putting me in a frame of mind to let my fingers run free in … Continue reading THE OTHER SIDE
This one will resonate with all of you. Think about a time when you were on hold with a company and some LOUD music was playing in a loop. Every 15-30 seconds a voice comes on saying something like "Thank you for your patience. Your call is important to us." Maybe you get the good … Continue reading SLUDGE
As I write this, all kinds of tributes are pouring in as we all learn of the passing of musician Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys. I've spent so much time teaching about this man and this time in music history that I feel like I knew him. In 2019 Vanessa and I had tickets … Continue reading SAIL ON, SAILOR
I have stolen the idea of random brain wanderings from my dear friend Maureen (not her real name). For your enjoyment, or in case you would like to recommend a good therapist, I kindly share with you where my brain goes at times. They are in no particular order. Just like my life. I read … Continue reading MUSINGS VOL. IV
"I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way." - Robin Williams in the movie Dead Poet's Society. The film came out in 1989 and I saw it in the theater. I was a junior in high school and I went to see it one … Continue reading DEAD POETS THEN AND NOW
I have found that too often in the professional world of work, disabled adults are celebrated for overcoming barriers that able bodied people can't begin to fathom. By letting it be known that the workplace employs individuals living with physical or mental disabilities, the employers are wonderful people who practice inclusion, equity and diversity at … Continue reading a quiet struggle
I am an older sibling. I now have two young boys of my own and they are two and a half years apart in age. They are best friends. It is a wonderful sight to watch them play, laugh, screw around and have inside jokes with one another. A quick search of the Google machine … Continue reading I BLEW IT
All the years I spent playing drums must add up to more than ten thousand hours. In fact, when playing something that is not technically challenging, I didn't have to focus on what my limbs were doing. Once the groove was imbedded in my limbs and brain, my mind could and did wander. I would … Continue reading DRUMS
Often, we don't realize how and when our words and actions will come back to us. As I write this, it is early in the morning, and though I usually post only once a week, I am sharing some more words with you. They are not my words. This was the first thing that I … Continue reading CONNECTION
As most of you know, I spent 27 years in a middle school classroom teaching band instruments, music and life. I've shared a lot of what went on in terms of awesome moments, funny moments, heart warming moments and goofy middle school antics. A colleague once summed up the age group perfectly: they are the … Continue reading GET OUT
Moeschen! 