“We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I’m an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.” –Pope Francis Recently I told a friend about my work at UU Montclair and how much I was enjoying it. He seemed surprised. “You’re not particularly religious, are you?” he asked. Of...
Category: On That Note Music Blog
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On That Note… – May 2013
Let’s try a mental experiment: think of your monthly salary. Now double it. Then double it again and imagine what your life would be like. And then double it one more time (you could just take the original amount and multiply it by 8, but it’s more fun to go in increments). Now, how do...
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On That Note… – April 2013
“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” –Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) When I was younger, I struggled with my professional identity. Here I was – composing songs, playing piano, conducting ensembles – while the news were full of war, pollution, people living in horrible...
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On That Note… – December 2012
Occasionally I meet someone who says they might like to sing in the choir, but consider themselves not gifted with a beautiful voice. Well, I can relate to that. When I sent my application for admission to Berklee College of Music in Boston, I indicated that my principal instrument was electric bass. After I got...