tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681756755372311452024-03-08T08:37:18.136-08:00Holding the Notes: Making Music Here and ThereReflections on making music in community settings: schools, libraries, senior centers, festivals. Written by Stuart Stotts, singer, songwriter, storyteller, and author.Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-19004944980784632782013-02-07T19:33:00.002-08:002013-02-07T19:33:18.272-08:00Choirs advice<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">I received this Barbara Harlow at <a href="http://www.sbmp.com/" target="_blank">Santa Barbara Music</a>. They publish an arrangement of Music in my Mother's House. I thought it was great advice for singers in general. Holding the notes, indeed.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Your harmony works really well when you're all on the same beat.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Your upbeats are somewhat in dispute.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Everyone has an idea what those two 16ths are—we can duke it out.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Right in the middle of the note is where you want to land.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Keep the note alive, like a ping pong ball floating on water.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Pull the tone back to where your wisdom teeth used to be.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sopranos are used to being beautiful but not always accurate.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">from the 8-page program from the Jan.<br />11th memorial for Diane Loomer at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts.<br />It includes a full page of "In her own words— Word for Word”</span>Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-84972660137600956812013-01-17T11:40:00.002-08:002013-01-17T11:40:56.681-08:00Arts IntegrationArts integration is gaining ground as an approach to teaching. Check out this link <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol8/808-toc.aspx?utm_source=ascdexpress&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=express808">http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol8/808-toc.aspx?utm_source=ascdexpress&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=express808</a> for some great work being done around the country.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span>Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-43648343014795568102012-10-17T18:18:00.001-07:002012-10-17T18:18:18.696-07:00Children's Music NetworkLast weekend at the Children's Music Network we celebrated 25 years. I've been connected with the network for most of those years, and I have consistently found inspiration, rejuvenation, ideas, and friendship there. If you are looking for a good source of material and support, I highly recommend joining. More information <a href="http://www.cmnonline.org/">here</a>. You'll find well known musicians and those who are just beginning. The most important part for me is that it's an organization that keeps the love and joy in singing alive, for kids and grownups. Priceless...Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-24476980857507445242012-09-30T16:58:00.002-07:002012-09-30T16:58:26.049-07:00David Brooks "The Social Animal"An <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/ask/2011/01/david-brooks-composure-class.html">article</a> in which David Brooks discusses his book <i>The Social Animal.</i> He is usually identified as a conservatively biased columnist for the New York Times. However, in this book, he writes about scientific discoveries that support the importance of relationships, early childhood care and education, and creativity. Well worth a read if you are interested in education.Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-1378315176004463782012-09-24T08:20:00.000-07:002012-09-24T11:40:07.759-07:00Early Childhood education in WyomingI just returned from leading some training in Wyoming for Early Childhood teachers and providers. I was doing work on music, but also on professional attitudes with my "I'm A Teacher Not A Babysitter" program. <a href="http://imateachernotababysitter.com/">http://imateachernotababysitter.com/</a> Two things struck me deeply.<br />
<br />
The first is that the Wyoming Legislature is generally unsympathetic to young children and their needs. As one example, the Legislature was considering changing licensing for care of young children in people's homes. Changing is the wrong word. Getting rid of is more accurate. Apparently, there would have been no requirement for any licensing for someone caring for up to five kids in their home. Back to the days of the neighborhood babysitter. It was good enough for the 1950s. The measure to remove licensing failed by one vote.<br />
<br />
The Legislature has cut other funding as well, and just doesn't recognize the need for well trained and regulated early childhood care and education. This kind of short sighted thinking is increasingly prevalent all over the country, as competing priorities battle for funding. The effect on people who work in the field is depressing and demoralizing, and the long term effect on children is unknown, but clearly not positive.<br />
<br />
The second thing is more hopeful. I've recently begun working with Faye Stanley (<a href="http://www.clappingdog.com/)">http://www.clappingdog.com/)</a> who is a fantastic teaching artist in North Carolina. We're working on a couple of projects, but in my most recent training I incorporated a technique I learned from her about group creativity in early childhood. I had small groups in the session come up with adaptations and expansions on Susan Salidor's (<a href="http://www.susansalidor.com/">http://www.susansalidor.com/</a>) wonderful song Peace in My Fingers. The engagement and energy in the room was sparkling, as people worked with each other in a way that we might also hope that children would. The adaptations were great, including winking, dancing, and eating. Faye's work has helped me to see that for young children, very small pieces are opportunities for creativity, and being involved in the process regularly at an early age may lead to a lifetime of creative exploration. I saw the power of this work in Wyoming, in particular in how motivating it was for teachers to be genuinely engaged in the creative process, as opposed to being recipients of knowledge.<br />
<br />
The central idea of this piece of work is that rather than simply sharing songs that work with kids and hoping that teachers use them and maybe expand on them, we actually explored the process of that expansion. It makes it far more likely that the lesson will stick and be integrated into practice.<br />
<br />
What's missing is the opportunity for long term sharing and growth. When people come together once a year, it's hard to have an ongoing learning community. One question is whether or not online work can make a difference in this way. Can technology connect people in the Early Childhood field in a meaningful way? One of our projects seeks to explore that question.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, let's wish our colleagues in Wyoming well as they grapple with the impact of regressive thinking and short-sighted laws. Or lack of laws. One outcome of the training was an emphasis on advocacy, on stepping up for children. Powerless children need powerful friends.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lkWM35PLCQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lkWM35PLCQ</a><br />
<br />
.Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-61163241212607443902012-09-24T07:57:00.001-07:002012-10-17T18:15:12.947-07:00Play. Fortunately, people who work with young children see its importance. In this excerpted article, you can find relevant brain research about the importance of play and how it works in the brain. Find it at http://dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=39402<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="3" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; width: 600px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-size: 12px; padding-right: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;">In this article, adapted from Dr. Sam Wang and Dr. Sandra Aamodt's book <em>Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College</em> (Bloomsbury USA, 2011; OneWorld Publications, 2011), the authors explore how play enhances brain development in children. As Wang and Aamodt describe, play activates the brain's reward circuitry but not negative stress responses, which can facilitate attention and action. Through play, children practice social interaction and build skills and interests to draw upon in the years to come. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-78518879840785495862011-09-01T06:29:00.001-07:002011-09-01T06:39:48.243-07:00School ShowsEveryone I know says that their bookings in schools are down. It's easy to see why. Between government budget cuts to schools and teachers, a focus on testing, literacy, and technology, and audiences that have more experience with screen time than face time, a school assembly begins to seem like a waste of money, a waste of time, or a cute anachronism, a throwback to earlier times.<div>
<br /></div><div>It's easy to see this in a self-centered light, where my business and the business of my friends and colleagues is affected, and that is certainly true. But it's equally true that children lose when they have no experience with live performances. I believe that sitting together in the same space listening and watching and reacting together is a fundamental human skill and pleasure, and I regret deeply that many children rarely if ever get this opportunity. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Singing together is an art that is fading, and has been for a long time. Listening to stories, or watching a dance performance, or visiting a museum gallery are all on the endangered list of school experiences, and in the lives of most people. We say we want community and creativity, and yet we invest less time in those things. And it's particularly true for schools.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I don't believe that a focus on testing that excludes time for science, recess, gym, the arts, and social studies is good in any way for students, and yet we see schools around the country that have given up or limited each of the above in order to raise scores. Too many children will not know how to think critically, to be creative, to interact socially and care for each other because the focus has shifted.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I think the answer is actually simple. Raise taxes on the upper 1 or 5 percent of the population, and fully fund education. And let "fully funded" mean time for genuine arts experiences of all kinds. We need kids who can read. But we need a lot more than that, not for ourselves, but for the future of our country, and the planet.</div>Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-85335291163744541872010-07-18T13:33:00.000-07:002010-07-18T13:45:16.591-07:00Church SingingI went to St Paul's Baptist Church today in San Angelo, Texas. My friend Craig Myers, a retired Presbyterian minister from San Angelo, took me. He's built an amazing relationship with people in the church, which is all-black, over the years, sometimes guest preaching, and working on a host of social justice projects in San Angelo. When I was last working here, he said that if I returned, I should go to the church with him. I did, and we did.<div>It was truly amazing. The singing was from something out of my dreams. In particular, one man named Oscar got up and led a gospel number. It was almost like watching James Brown. He shouted, raised his hands in the air, prowled the pulpit and pulled responses from everyone in the congregation. I was fortunate enough to talk with Oscar afterwards. He's almost 70. He's had offers from bands to sing with them, but he says that his only reason for singing is God. And I can tell you, he was filled with the spirit. </div><div>The congregation sang some, but mostly it was the choir. I had a talk also with the minister, Fredd Adams, a wonderful man who also put on quite a presentation when he was preaching. A long way from the churches of my youth. His sermon was about praising God, and he quoted Bible text that talked about how Jehosephat (sp?) put the choir in front of the armies, when there was battle. "Lead with praise," he said. "Make a joyful noise." </div><div>I realized that it was not unlike the civil rights movement, where music was one of the few "weapons" or tools that people had in their struggle. Music led the way then. Given all of the struggle African-American's have faced in their history on this continent, I understand in a new way now why music has had such a powerful influence on their culture, and on ours.</div><div>I went to the church almost as audience member, but came away profoundly moved by the unbridled emotion and the wide open singing from the heart that filled the room. I wish that all of us could experience that kind of singing on a regular basis, not just as audience, but as participants. It's life changing, and life sustaining. Most of all, I just hope I get to go back again.</div>Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-86666510494516532712010-06-29T16:23:00.001-07:002010-06-29T16:34:15.154-07:00LibrariesI love libraries. My second book honored an incredible Wisconsin librarian named <a href="http://bigvalleypress.com/Page-2.htm">Lutie Stearns</a>. And in summer, I perform in libraries as part of the summer reading program.<div><br /></div><div>Last week I performed in Waukesha at the library, where Kate Fitzgerald-Fleck and her colleagues have created an amazing children's department. There's a fine performance space, too, and it allowed for the kind of show that I like best - lots of interaction.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are many excellent children's performers of all types, but my favorite has always been my dear friend <a href="http://tompease.com">Tom Pease</a>. Tom is a master of interaction. It's rare for him to do a song where the audience doesn't participate. As he and I talk, we often discuss new ways to get people involved. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some family shows have the kids sit up front on the floor, while grownups are mostly behind them, in chairs. Although this might seem to make sense, it makes it harder to get families interacting together, which is the point of a family show in my opinion. The set up in Waukesha was just like that. Grownups were involved, but they were in the back.</div><div><br /></div><div>While doing "Mi Cuerpo," a favorite song in Spanish with lots of movement, I suddenly got inspired and had the kids stand up and go back by their parents, and do motions with them. The wall was broken, or at least cracked for a moment, and kids and grownups were all in the same reality, having fun, making faces at each other, and laughing their heads off. Singing, too, of course.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's one thing to get kids to do something. The challenge is to get kids doing something with their grownups. This was one small solution.</div>Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-86706374962578689552010-06-09T19:04:00.001-07:002010-06-09T19:13:59.445-07:00Last Day of School ShowOver the years I've done lots of shows on the last day of school. I always enjoy them. Everyone is in a good mood. Actually, the teachers are in better moods than the kids. Today, at Summit View Elementary, several teachers talked about seeing the ambivalence in kids about school being over. You can imagine that the home life they will be immersed in for the next two and half months may not be as positive or consistent or even affectionate as what they receive at school. <br />In any case, these shows tend to be high energy gigs. There's no pretense of tying into the curriculum, or singing songs that have to do with respect or the environment. It's just about fun, giving teachers a bit of a break, and, ultimately, celebrating together the end of another year. And in that sense, the most important piece is recognizing and building on the sense of community that's hopefully already there. Today, it was. Kids were pumped to sing, and teachers had fun, too.<br />So did I. And after the show, I had a wonderful conversation with Leah, the music teacher. We wondered together about the future of school assemblies, as we both acknowledged the importance of just singing together. Will the experience of singing joyfully together be relegated to camps and the rare concert where group singing is central? And the good music class, where teachers know that building delight in music is their main job. Kids will figure out what quarter notes are, but it's hard to reclaim the love of singing once it's lost.<br />I am grateful that Summit View, and many other schools, still recognize the importance of singing together. <br />If you're off for the summer now, take some time and sing with a group somewhere. Just for fun.Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-83963489458784905732010-06-08T14:05:00.001-07:002010-06-09T19:01:44.232-07:00I'm a Teacher, Not a BabysitterYesterday I was talking with Denise, who is one the finest childcare providers I know. She has dedicated her life to working with young children, and she takes her work seriously, even as she has a good time with kids. She has used my recordings with her kids for years, and she brings them to concerts, so we are old friends. She said that she didn't like the song on my new CD, <a href="http://imateachernotababysitter.com/">"I'm a Teacher, Not a Babysitter"</a> because she felt that the parents of her kids understood that and treated her with respect. "It feels old and out of date," she said. I had to laugh. While I believe that's true for her, I had to tell her that when I play that song at Early Childhood events, I am greeted with shouts of "Amen" and loud applause. For most of the country, child care providers continue to be viewed with little respect or understanding about the importance of their work. And they sometimes don't feel much self-respect, either. So, Denise is lucky. But we still have work to do for millions of other providers around the world.Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-668175675537231145.post-75810989591703322452010-06-07T15:02:00.000-07:002010-06-07T15:24:12.508-07:00Intergenerational SingingFor over five years I've worked occasionally with the Oakwood Retirement Community to create intergenerational programs. I began by working with Sarah Sprague who started a wonderful project called Treasured Times designed to bring seniors and pre-school aged children together to engage in meaningful activities. Sarah asked me to work with her on some musical parts of the program. We did a couple of years of grant projects around specific themes, which turned out well. In particular, we were working at Covenant Oaks at Oakwood, a unit for people with memory issues, like Alzheimer's.<div><br /></div><div>From the beginning, Sarah was interested in projects that provided genuine interaction across the ages. For example, I've done many concerts labeled as "intergenerational" but they mostly consisted of older folks and younger folks in the same room, listening to and singing songs. Good events, but not a huge amount of interaction.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sarah and I created projects that had people of different ages sitting and working at tables together, talking to each other and helping each other with art work, quilting, and sensory experiences. The benefits were immediate and obvious. Both sets of generations needed help, but delighted in the opportunity to share time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sarah has moved to Brazil, so for the last three years, when I return to Oakwood, as I do once a twice a year, I sing with older folks from the unit and young children who come from child care or family settings. Today was one of those concerts.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are all in the activity room. There were maybe 25 residents and as many children, with some grown up care providers and parents mixed in. My job is to have fun, and get folks interacting with each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout the concert, I made sure to give directions and provide opportunities for kids to get up off the floor and go hold hands with residents, or hug them, or dance by them. These are mostly kids who are used to coming to Oakwood for other activities, but I was struck by how at ease they were, and how the mood in the room was light and joyful for all. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finding common ground musically is sometimes a challenge. I did some kid songs, but also a few old favorites, like "You Are My Sunshine." At one point, I asked for requests, and a young boy, not more than three, asked for "Working on the Railroad." We all sang it together, and then, on a hunch, I asked him if he wanted to sing it by himself. He made it through the whole song, with only a few rhythmic anomalies, and was greeted at the end of the last line, which he made "strumming on the BIG banjo" with wild applause and laughter.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the residents wanted to sit next to me, so as I sang, she gave a running commentary with words and hilarious facial expression. At one point she did a dead-on solo version of the ABCs in chicken, complete with head bobs and clucks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone in the room would recognize the power and joy of young and old sharing genuine moments. Music has a particular power to facilitate these times. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is a unique show for me. Oakwood is a great place to live: if I could afford it I'd reserve a spot for myself right now. The children are coming from great child care settings, or arrive with very involved parents. It's not big enough and it doesn't demonstrate the kind of need that would attract funding. And yet, I wish that these kind of opportunities were available for every facility for aging people, and for all young children. It's not about being a full employment act for musicians, but about providing what should be every human being's rights, whether they are young or old - to enjoy making music together.</div>Stuart Stottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406217823356766554noreply@blogger.com0