the idea: ask the kids if they want to play. Over the past year or so I’ve spent quite a few Thursdays in Medford at the Farmer’s Market going back and forth between telling stories and playing songs. Through my visits I’ve developed some followers who are always thrilled to see me, which is of course …
the idea: go out and see a local musician play Yesterday I went to see my incredibly talented friend, Emily Schonberg, play at the Burren in Davis Square. As an extremely biased observer, I can say that she seriously kicked ass. If you don’t believe me, check out some of the videos below. But I also …
This is what it looks like when an incredible musician teaches the world how to listen, despite being deaf. Sidenote: a friend told me about this TEDtalk because we were talking about how incredible it feels to lie under a piano while someone is playing and he was reminded of Evelyn Glennie talking about someone …
the idea: have my current group of kids come up with their own project As one project for one of my many jobs at the MFA I am working with a group of kids to create something for the opening of their music clubhouse. This is a little different from what I normally do when …
the idea: paint my guitar case I’ve been doing a lot lately. Don’t Make Art, Just Make Something is underway, the Idea Can is going strong, I’ve been getting myself out into the world, and reading my way through a bookshelf full of books on creativity. I love it, I love all of it. The …
the idea: make an interactive piano curriculum I’ve taken classical piano since I was about five years old. I had a wonderful, patient teacher who worked with both me and my sister through the tough years of family divorce and elementary school. She even dealt with the two of us in middle school, which can’t have …
I’ve been playing classical music since first grade and for the first eight years I hated it. My mother, who was usually not a particularly strict parent, put her foot down when it came to music. She loves the arts and has always regretted the fact that her mother let her quit piano when she …
Apparently when your weekends are actually free, interesting things happen. On Friday I got a text from a friend of mine telling me that there was a music festival in Jamaica Plains on Saturday. Rather than holing up in my apartment playing music or painting, I made the trek down to Jamaica Plains and enjoyed …
When I was young(er), I used to see the videos of 20-something year olds fervently playing music in their livings rooms and basements late at nights, getting off day long shifts to come home just to make music. I always found it a little funny, these people who played late at night not to get …