Where is Beauty?

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You never know where it might overtake you.  Today, it overtook me in the Walmart parking lot.

Performance Class

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We just had our first performance class of the semester.  I loved it.  The group setting, the students playing, having them all affirm each other (of course I told them they were only allowed to give compliments today).

We celebrated a birthday at the end.  I had debated about making something sugary, knowing that some might not need the extra sweet, and came across a recipe for a smoothie/almost-popsicle instead.  It worked.  They seemed to enjoy it.

I hope they had a nice time like I did, because I want playing the piano in front of people to be something they learn to love, not fear.  I want them to be generous with the gifts they're developing, willing to share what they learn (especially in the church context).  I want them to learn that what they have to offer really is a blessing and a joy to other people, and that playing the piano is something most people wish they hadn't dropped at my students' age.  That it's work, but work with great personal reward.

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Some days, I feel stuck, too.

(Just found this very old draft from the archives...never yet published.)

Not Your Typical Clouds

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This is a view we had from our dining room table one morning a couple of weeks ago.  And these were only a small fraction of the cloud that came rushing, seemingly straight toward our window.

So it came as no surprise to me later in the day, or some un-particular afternoon over the next few days, to hear quite the racket of noise when I was out working in the garden.  (Have I ever done that in January before?  I can't think of a time.)  I labored on, enjoying the racket, actually, but determining to stay focused upon my task.  Which didn't work very well.  (The staying focused part.  I actually got things done in the garden.)

Because the noise was too exciting, too inviting.  So I tramped off in my rubber boots that I used while fishing in Alaska (see the label on the sidebar called "Fishing"), through the freshly rained-upon grass of the orchard, then the woods.  The racket got louder as I tramped.

I walked with a sparkle of anticipation in my eyes.  If I could just get there without scaring them first.  Because I wanted to startle them once I got there.  Doesn't that sound mean?

But I did it anyway.  I got there, let them settle (because I did startle them on accident), and clapped my hands.  I learned how to clap with great volume in piano performance class.  I loved the cloud of starlings that instantly took flight, none of whom tried to fly quietly away.

They settled some distance from me, and I wandered back to my garden and muddiness.  They settled in again, too.

And do you know?  They were right there in my front yard the next morning, and I got to take their photo in flight when I opened the door to get a closer look at them.  Can you count the number of starlings in this one little frame?  They were thick, and they were everywhere.

Others around here were complaining of the abundance of starlings this winter.  They didn't know what caused it.  And they certainly didn't want them at their bird feeders.  But the starlings gave me a bit of delight those few days that they flocked near my home, and I'm grateful God made them for me to enjoy.

Sunday Sky

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Today I experimented with taking my pulse before and during exercise.  It was enlightening.  Somewhere around pulse stop two or three, I noticed that the sky looked like this.  So gorgeous.  I love how God paints new pictures every moment, every day in the sky.  Amazing artwork, and a very nice shade of blue.

And by the way, if your life seems cloudy sometimes?  Maybe God is painting something spectacular with the clouds in your sky, to bless someone (or even to bless you yourself).  He doesn't waste any clouds.

I Am an Example

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I encourage all my piano students to learn to play by ear.  Well, I guess I encourage them.  They might say that I require it of them, like it or not.  It works like this:

I play part of a melody twice, and they try to repeat it exactly.  I'm not strict, though, and I usually play it for them as many times as they need me to so that they can learn and memorize the melody.  Once I have given them several sections, we string them all together to make a larger section.  We do this until they have learned an entire  hymn melody by ear.

Then I work with them on the bass line.  I have them learn it the same way as the melody, and when they have a section, we put it together with the melody.  I follow this with the alto, and then the tenor.

But over the last few days I've noticed something.  Right now, since most of them are new at this type of ear training, all but one get to watch my hands on the keyboard as well as listen to the notes.  Most of the time, they focus in on the notes themselves, and do not at all imitate my fingering.

But today, when I was using crazy fingering so my student could see which notes I was highlighting?

My crazy fingering got imitated, too.

I need to remember I'm always an example.  Of something good, or something not so good.  And in the case of fingering, something helpful, or something that will cause my student problems in the future AND in the learning process.

Keep Your Eyes Open

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Keep your eyes open.

You never know where you might see a bit of blue sky.

Even when you thought you were looking in the gutter.