Published inThe Riff·PinnedMember-onlyI Never Expected Preschoolers to React Like This to John DenverAnd I thought I knew kids pretty well — The preschoolers who came into my music room were wound pretty tightly. They burst through the doorway, most yelling questions and comments at me in a cacophony of chatter. “Do you like my shoes?” “Look at this ninja star I made!” “Look at what my shirt says!” After singing our…Music3 min readMusic3 min read
Published inFanfare·PinnedMember-onlyHow Similar Are Taylor Swift and The Beatles?Reflections on The Eras Tour movie — Shortly after the movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour began, I had a realization. Seeing the girls at the sold-out SoFi Stadium concert screaming and jumping up and down with tears streaming down their faces was very much like watching footage of The Beatles’ 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Published inAge of Empathy·PinnedMember-onlySay Yes to the CookiesHow to use improv when put on the spot — The guy at the baseball game got a big surprise. During a break in the game, he appeared on the giant scoreboard with a plate of cookies superimposed in front of him. Inspired by Cookie Monster from the children’s TV show Sesame Street, the “Cookie Cam” scanned the crowd, selecting…Nonfiction4 min readNonfiction4 min read
Published inThe Riff·PinnedMember-onlyA Tribute: Tony Bennett’s Late-Life MiracleHis inspirational birthday performance showed the power of music — If I were to make a list of miracles I’ve witnessed, Tony Bennett’s final performance would rank in the top five. I’d always been aware of Tony Bennett, who died last week at the age of 96. …Music3 min readMusic3 min read
Published inSongstories·PinnedMember-onlyMaking Fifth Graders Sing an Inappropriate SongA clueless teacher — It wasn’t our usual plump, middle-aged-woman music teacher sitting at the desk at the front of the classroom. It was a young-ish man. A sub. Cool. We were used to our bland fifth-grade music curriculum. No instruments to play. No dancing. …Songs3 min readSongs3 min read
Published inPlethora Of Pop·2 days agoMember-onlyThe Harsh Realities of the Pop Culture Generation GapSometimes I want to go where everybody knows their names — My improv troupe was playing a guessing game where one member was trying to guess the name of a celebrity, based on clues from the rest of us. In this case, the celebrity was Groucho Marx. Someone referenced the commercial for Vlasic Pickles, in which a cartoon stork sounded like…Pop Culture4 min readPop Culture4 min read
Published inAge of Empathy·Nov 30Member-onlyMy Preschool Students Are Screaming — Even My Best Tricks Aren’t WorkingWhat I learned from one of my most challenging moments in teaching — The atmosphere in my normally peaceful music room is crumbling. There are only five children, but three of them are inconsolable. One is just outside the open classroom door, sitting on the floor kicking his feet and screaming. Another is just inside the door, wailing and trying to escape. The…Children3 min readChildren3 min read
Published inThe Memoirist·Nov 29Member-onlyThe Best Seat in the House at ThanksgivingThe kids’ table counterculture — We were a ragtag group of class clowns, sitting at a card table on mismatched chairs in the living room, removed from the “main event” in the dining room. We were somewhat ill-mannered, with our own set of rules. …Childhood3 min readChildhood3 min read
Published inSix Word Photo Story Challenge·Nov 22Member-onlyFree Happiness, Courtesy of My NieceNovember Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Happiness” — Animals1 min readAnimals1 min read
Published inBouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs·Nov 20Member-onlyHow to End an ArgumentThis kid demonstrated the power of acceptance — I heard a potential argument beginning when I was walking by the playground on my way home from work. Two boys on scooters zipped along the concrete track that borders the ball field. One boy called to the other, “My scooter’s more grown-up than your scooter.” Ooo — them’s fightin’…Communication2 min readCommunication2 min read