Anthony Wellington

How lucky we were today that Mr. Anthony Wellington, a professional musician, came to talk to us.  There are literally millions of teenage and college-age musicians who jam in bands and in garages, and millions more who dabble in the safety of their homes, and still countless others who enter their adult years playing music, often just scraping by.  Anthony is in that rare class who has reached a vertiginous level which far transcends the status of being just another musician; he has gone to the Grammies, he makes six figures, and he has a sterling reputation.  Professional teachers are everywhere, but professional musicians are rare breed.

I heard snickering after I asked him what magazine and books he reads.  I'll bet a few of the students thought I was crazy because, after all, this is not what one asks a professional musician who is the quintessence of cool. I knew that Anthony was a thinking man, and I know that congruent thinkers and speakers read. A lot. 


Anthony listed an armful of music magazines and journals that fill his mailbox.  A spiritual man, he mentioned that he reads widely about world religions, and then he listed many titles and authors who write about the psychology of music and success.  My hope is that many of the students realized that reading is power, and this is the stuff that puts our guest in a league above other musicians who couldn't care less about reading or deep thoughts.  Here are some of his recently read, favorite books:

Sources

By the weekend, it is imperative that you have at least 10 good sources that answer your working thesis. You may have to read/skim a couple dozen articles before your find the right handful Let your mentor help search, ask me and I'll help, if you're stuck, and yes, for now it's okay to modify your thesis if you think it will be a dead end.

I need to see URLs that will lead me right to the articles, websites, or video links.  To keep better track of them, you need to rename them so that they are not big, clunky thinks followed by hundreds of numbers and characters.

Check out the search engines on the following:
Magazines related to your working thesis
EBSCO
Sirs
Grolier
The New York Times
TedTalks
npr.org

A final stage note...

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”- Jack London

Since about half the senior project class had a role in Seussical, I couldn't let the opportunity to blog about it slip by.  Sometime over the weekend,  London's familiar quote popped into my mind, and just now I connected it to the transformative, magical experience that was the show.  

I've forgotten exactly where I encountered the quote during the last few days (the whole weekend was a busy, happy blur), but I can say that it became highlighted in my mind after I read Essence's blog this morning.  She is the first of you to discuss how it built her confidence.

In my universe here at LHS, I've seen hundreds of students go after inspiration with the proverbial club as they audition for shows and see them through until the final, glorious curtain call.  Performing in a show takes such courage and commitment, regardless of whether the student is a lead or a walk-on.  Hopefully, the experience that was Seussical will be the inspirational vehicle that will let our students soar to new heights, and I am sure that the sweet residue of the show will be apparent in their presentations. 

You can't wait for inspiration, whether it's for the research paper or the final project presentation; you have to go after it with a club. How and where will you find yours?

A Sunday Trip To Princeton

Today, my son participated in a piano festival up in Princeton at the Westminster Choir College of Rider University http://www.rider.edu/wcc.  It's not what you're thinking.  Robert did not sit at a glistening baby grand up on stage, performing for an auditorium filled with parents and patrons.  Instead it was a session with an audience of three:  his adoring parents and a professor from the college who critiqued the two pieces he had memorized.  

Yes, piano lessons for the last four years have a been a sacrifice of time and money, but this is a pleasure.  Like any good parent, I like to live vicariously through my children and to see them master a skill like musical performance is a joy. When it comes to reading musical notes, I am a stone cold illiterate.

Afterwards, we meandered around Princeton's campus and visited the Princeton Museum http://artmuseum.princeton.edu/ .  What a gem of a place, packed with art and scupture from around the world.  The collection spanned centuries, from ancient Greek pottery shards to Basquiat! It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

A pic of me at the Princeton Museum!

Lemonade Out of Lemons

The aggravation has ended thanks to our IT department.  They cracked the code that had been ruining Blogger for us in the high school.  Yes, I felt hamstrung for the last couple weeks, completely frustrated because Blogger was out of commission here in the school, and the students get graded for the quality and frequency of their blogs. 

During the Bloggerless times, several students had recommended Tumblr, a blogging service that seems a little more shinier and nimbler than what I'm now using.  I registered and gave it a try, and it does have some advantages over Blogger; however, I think for now I'm going to be doing most of my academic blogging with my first love.

Where's the lemonade you ask? If some of my students want to make their entries happen via Tumblr, no problem!  Do I shop at one grocery store? I go to Shop Rite, Wegmans, and Pathmarksd! Do I use one exclusive gas station? No!  Do I read one newspaper? Heck no! My students have taught me to be open to different options and I think our on-line journaling will be enriched if people find a blogging vehicle that best suits them. 

I need to know who is going to stick with what service, and I need to get comfortable being linked with the folks who chose tumblr.

Alternative to Sponsor Visits?

As I  enjoy my third year teaching Senior Project, experience has taught me that an occasional week may crop up when students can't see their sponsor for reasons ranging from snowstorms to accidents to miscommunication to sponsor unavailability, and so on.  This morning, while shaving, I had an epiphany; have them select and visit a sponsor on-line if the visit falls through!  Where can they find a sponsor ?  TEDtalks can be a starter.

My friend Mr. Carrol actually turned me on to this site: http://www.ted.com/talks . Go to it and you will find gifted speakers who serve as experts in their fields.   The longer talks are only 20 minutes.  Some of them are so great that they can be life transforming!

While we're at it, the students can make digital field trips to other great sites where they can meet experts in their Senior Project fields. Yes, there's quality video out there that Youtube just doesn't have. Try any of the following and type something relevant in the search engines:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

http://www.charlierose.com/

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/sunday/main3445.shtml

Students, this is alternative to missing a sponsor visit through no fault of your own.  Make sure to be thoughtful when you write up your Sponsor Visit # ? blog.  Include what you learn, how you were inspired, or what you would like to ask your field's expert.   You must also include the link so that the rest of us can watch it if we choose.  You may use these resource as material for "Connections Blogs."  Have fun and here's to a lifetime of learning.

Getting Older

Back when I was younger, I had a tendency to lie about my age - a lot.  I always made sure to add another year to my real age.  It all started in 4th grade or so.  Being older, in  my mind, was synonymous with maturity, and I wanted so much to be a mature responsible kid.   I learned to round my age up because I've never been particularly good at lying.  Nine and a half became ten.  Later, sixteen became seventeen. Needless to say, I no longer tack on that extra year.  I've run about half the race.

This picture is about thirty-five years old, give a couple years.  My family lived in Latham, NY, a suburb just outside of Albany.  As I look at the photo, I want to ask my younger self questions because I've forgotten so much of what I liked and disliked when I was seven.  What are your favorite TV shows besides Sesame Street, Mr. Rodgers, and the Electric Company? What do you do with your spare time?  How much money did you get for the tooth? What do you want to be when you grow up?  A teacher? A scientist?  I think back then I wanted to be a firefighter.  My youth is all very hazy.

Lately, I've become more aware of aging.  For example, I'll go to a mall and look around and realize that I'm now older than most of the people browsing in the stores and milling about.  The really old folks sometimes seem that they're from another world. I combat the aging process by working on maintaining a "young" brain, and I owe this ability to working around teenagers all day. I let their vigor and optimism rub off on me.

"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes..."  Ecclesiates 11:9