At the Tea Shop

Not indulging in caffeine has not stopped me from having "a spot of tea" at the Tea Shop.

The shop is right next to the Bookshop so you can pick up a used copy of Maisie Dobbs and settle in for some refreshing peppermint tea,

This is the caffeine free section. I love Evening in Missoula and I like to take home a few ounces.

There are lovely gifts to peruse along the shelves.

While you are there you might meet Steve.

He is a photographer by passion but you can find him brewing behind the counter some days of the week. 

Last month he had a show at the shop. Here are two favorites.

This isn't like seeing the real thing, of course. Here I am photographing a photograph, sorry.

This is a senior picture from someone I do not know. I like the composition.

When you come in for tea you may be tempted by the scones, tea cakes, crumpets, and..........just clutch your book and breathe in the aroma of your "cuppa".

A Letter to my Daughter

Dear Daughter,

I can't get you out of my mind. I heard once that a mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child. You may not actually be my unhappiest child but I feel the burden of your situation. It stinks! There are others in a similar place but that knowledge is of little comfort. I can't help but reflect that my mother was in a equally difficult spot. 

Here she is visiting my father in the hospital when he got injured in the war. They are holding it together but she looks less relieved than he does. So I wonder how she coped? I look at what she did so well until the end of her days. She was physically active, not in an exercise regimen but in her daily walks and her joy in work.

Here she is on the back of a motorbike. Her spirit was much more connected to her body than mine is. She loved to move and knew where she was in space. She also found joy in the natural world. I think her father taught her that.

Today she would be outside looking for spring. Here is what I found yesterday by the driveway. The crocus is so fragile looking but fights to come up even in the cold. They don't last long but being a sign seeker I see it as a gift from God, a down payment on the promise of new life.

Stay in the moment and enjoy those babies. Look! These guys were babies during war and time went on and the sadness turned to joy again and they grew into men whose families love them and honor them.

And you will learn to pray. I pray for angels to visit you and tend to your care.

Love, Mom

Happy Birthday Moonbeam

Yesterday was the birthday of our moonbeam. What joy she has given us this year.

She started out small and helpless.

But, she is no longer helpless. As the youngest of five children she manages to get exactly what she wants.

She insists on doing the things everyone else is doing, even doodling on the i-pad is not too much for this child.

Grandpa and Grandma decided she should have her own means of communication.

The hordes of siblings could hardly contain themselves when it came to opening the presents.

The new cell phone was a big hit. Now she can call Grandma, too.

Little Moonbeam we are so glad you came to be in our family!!!

My First Piano Adventures 5

This week J. finished Book 1. Congratulations! You are a wonderful student and thanks to you I decided to launch my teaching into Faber and Faber My First Piano Adventures.

The one teaching idea I wish I had started earlier with J. is the introduction of the staff. So this week I pulled out my ropes and we created a home for the notes.

Reading notes on the staff is like learning a mysterious code. This code has it's origins in 1028 when an Italian monk first came up with a 4 line staff. He began notating music with syllables "Do Re Mi" and used his hand to show all the pitch positions.

Today my students grapple with two staffs.  The treble, ruled over by Queen Treble Clef,  handles notes mostly above middle C.

She once looked liked an upper case G, and her belly circles the treble G line. And the King Bass staff which houses the notes lower than middle C, usually.

The bass clef used to be an upper case F and his round knob is right on the bass F line. 

So, our quest to break the code has officially begun. It may take a long time for your child to recognize the relationship of a note on the staff to the key on the piano. However, the day will come when reading notes on the staff will be as easy as reading letters on a page, and if that has not happened yet, don't worry it will. We all start from the ground up.

A Transition Song

Take a breath, through your nose,

Let is out down to your toes.

Then just float in your body boat,

Take a breath.

When it comes to having a tune up your sleeve to smooth the transitions your toddler is expected to make in his day, there is one that is a gem. Take a breath, for goodness sake. She is playing with her dad and they are rough housing on the floor, then the joy turns to unpleasantness and she starts to scream, what do you do? Take a breath.

Music is more powerful than words because it eludes the filter of the right side of the brain and is felt before it is understood. So, put your words into a song and communicate faster. In Swingset Music and Movement classes we use the song "Take a Breath" after our large motor activity when everyone is fired up and we need a smooth transition to quiet activity. It works well for us in class so try it at home.

A Week of Group Piano Lessons

A couple of times a year I meet with my older piano students in small groups. I try to maximize the positive aspects of peer involvement (feelings of inclusiveness in the quest to make music) and minimize the negative (the fits of silliness peer groups exhibit).
I found a three part arrangement of Yankee Doodle for my boy group.

We did practice individually the week before. I found the music at pianomorning.com. They write nice pieces on many levels. The lesson was a great success. All three parts held together and all the benefits of ensemble playing were realized.

I did some drumming in all the groups. I had a chart with lines of different rhythms. We did them together and then each person was assigned their own line. As you can see in the video, my Four Queens, girls in PA3A and PA3B, were successful.

Another fun activity was Play a Story. I used the Spanish story of Don Gato the cat. As I told the story I stopped to ask for piano sounds to complement the story. Don Gato's sound was a minor broken chord followed by a block chord. The Lady Cat had fifiths in the treble clef. The joyful sounds were major arpeggios, the sounds of the sadness over his death, or supposed death were a minor arpeggio.

His broken body parts were half steps in different octaves. I enjoyed their scramble to get to the piano to play their sound trying to remember what the musical term meant.

We ended the lesson with some notation dictation. I asked them to notate 4 measures of Yankee Doodle. This was very instructive to me to see how observant they are about the components of written music. We did not get all 4 measures written before it was time to perform for each other. This always ends my groups lessons. They like showing what they are learning.
Music was enjoyed by all!!

Eye Candy

We have a quilting store here in town. I am amazed that we have as many quilters here as we do. Those who love to create with cotton fabric, wool yarns, and other luscious textiles adore this store. I adore it for a second reason; the sheer power of eye candy.

If you want to give your eyes a treat come gaze at the rainbow of colors organized with an artist's perspective.

 I wander through the rooms thinking blue is my favorite, then red grabs me and I am emboldened by it's passion, only to be entreated by yellow, to be mellowed by the warmth of the warm light it sends forth.

Being a pianist I really think black and white are classy. I found a collection of music fabric which makes me want to sew again. I could do music bags for all my students. But, wait, I'd have to raise my prices to offer that value-added product.

I so admire the showcase of handmade quilts displayed as works of art, which they are, of course.

The Knitting Queen and I go into the store for the yarn which has appeal to the eyes but also to the touch. I seem to choose the soft silk yarns every time.

I don't know how many scarves I really need but I crochet them for the sensory experience more than the final product.

Here is the ball of yarn that captured me last time. While I crochet I watch it change from lime green, to spring green, to forest green, to tan, to taupe, to brown, and then back again.
Well, suffice it to say, the Island Quilter is a gallery for the most discriminating eye and the owners are full of enthusiasm and good will.
I will leave you with some humour.

Why did the hog farmer give up knitting?

He didn't want to cast his purls before swine!

A piece of yarn walks into a bar and orders a beer, but the bartender snarls, "We don't serve your kind here!". The yarn is forced to leave.

While sitting on the curb feeling sorry for himself, the yarn is suddenly hit with a brilliant idea. Working quickly, he ties himself into a knot and unravels his ends. Taking a deep breath, the yarn marches back into the bar and orders a beer.

"Hey!" says the bartender. "Ain't you that piece of yarn I just threw outta here?"

"Nope," replies the yarn, "I'm a frayed knot."