You're getting smarter, stronger, kinder....

It's funny, prior to the birth of my daughter, I hadn't thought about Sesame Street in probably 25 years. Sure, I remember spending many sleepless nights (sometimes even in July) count, count, counting the days until Christmas(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQgVPn2RSko), and could certainly name all (the original) of the characters by heart, but I hadn't THOUGHT about the show. When offering B, my daughter, the option of what to watch, "Elmo" is always the choice - in fact, aside from "Momma", "Elmo" is the word she utters most frequently. To that end, I must admit that I've been especially taken with the message conveyed in the closing credits, for those of you that are unfamiliar, you can find it here: https://www.kidzsearch.com/kidztube/sesame-street-smarter-stronger-kinder-song-season-46-closing_d22af797a.html, that is remarkably simple, but so critical. Again, if you haven't seen it 400 times a day, here is the text:

"Come on and use your body and use your mind because you know you are growing all the time, you're getting smarter, stronger, kinder on Sesame Street."

It seems simple, but man, is there anything better to aspire to be than smarter, stronger, kinder every single day?

Are there other songs from your childhood or from shows for young people that really resonate with you?

What is is about music that moves you?

I am always fascinated by the way music can move us on a personal/emotional level . I find I'm moved for different reasons by different pieces. Cantique de Jean Racine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_3rG7KZyU) moves me because I had a powerful experience as a teenager - one of those "I never knew music could be like this", moments while studying at Interlochen. It was one of the first times I was around people who loved music the same way that I did. I was deeply inspired by our conductor, Jerry Blackstone, and by the idyllic summer in northern Michigan. It was a magical memory of a serene piece that I will always cherish, and for that I am moved. In fact, it is difficult for me not to get emotional when I hear that piece. 

"If I loved you" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6wROfJMpUo) is one of the most fascinating songs ever written. The melody is masterfully crafted and is as beautiful as anything written in any canon, but part of the reason I am moved by this is in the text. It poses the hypothetical scenario, it's not "because I love you" or "yes, I love you," it is "if." It perfectly captures that awkward and exciting moment of an initial meeting and that first spark of romantic chemistry. I hear it and I am taken back to Stanziato's Pizza joint in Danbury, Connecticut. I hear the song and I remember that moment, and that feeling, as if it were yesterday.

There have been tunes that initial do not move me at all, but then something changes, and it is suddenly among the most moving things I have ever heard. My love of the music of Ben Folds is no secret. Having attended my first Ben Folds Five concert at 14, I feel as though I have "grown up" with him. His song, "Still Fighting It"(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqPwR39VMh0) was released when I was in high school. The story of a father having a meaningful conversation with his young son did not resonate with my teen-aged self. Not.At. All. But after becoming a parent, there are several lines that are especially poignant including this text, which describes how wonderful, but also how difficult life can, and will, be - "It was pain, sunny days and rain. I knew you'd feel the same things." Almost 20 years ago, this meant absolutely nothing to me, but now it moves me to tears with regularity.

What is your story - what is it about music that moves you?

When Great Tragedy Inspires Great Art

The world stopped for several hours this week, as Notre-Dame de Paris was severely damaged due to a horrific fire. 850 years of history, artistic ingenuity, and architectural beauty was destroyed in just a few hours. Certainly, our collective hearts go out to those who worship at the Cathedral on a regular basis, but the most important question: what is next? 

Amidst great tragedy there is great opportunity, perhaps none greater than in the arts. I can't help but liken this experience to that of Coventry Cathedral (West Midlands, England) which was devastated during bombings in World War II. Upon completion of the rebuilt structure, Benjamin Britten composed perhaps the most significant composition of the 20th century, War Requiem. While the entire work is worthy of years of study, here are the final moments of this masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksC_pNs0_Y

Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, The New York Philharmonic commissioned composer (not to be confused with the second president) John Adams, to write a musical work of remembrance. The result of this commission,  On the Transmigration of Souls. The work is a thought-provoking double meaning implying both the transmigration of those who have passed, but also the emotional transmigration of the loved ones who remain. The text was taken from signs and memorials left at ground zero. For a listen, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwoasXzLdVY

While these two pieces are hardly representative of all of the works written in response to tragedy, composers ranging from Haydn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_5tgmAwN-E to Eric Clapton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxPj3GAYYZ0 and Pearl Jam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA have also created artistic works as a coping mechanism.

How will the artistic community respond to this tragedy, and how will we respond to struggle in our own daily lives? Is there a way that we can use something full of sorrow, doubt, and turmoil and use it as a source of inspiration?

Listen with me...

So often in the chaos of our lives, and I know they are chaotic, we miss incredible beauty around us. In 2007 The Washington Post did a story about Joshua Bell, who is one of the finest violinists in the world. Wearing a Washington Nationals cap, and completely "ingonito" Bell played in a busy Metro station for 45 minutes. During that time frame, seven people stopped. Thousands of commuters passed by, but completely ignored him. You can read the full story here: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/pearls-before-breakfast-can-one-of-the-nations-great-musicians-cut-through-the-fog-of-a-dc-rush-hour-lets-find-out/2014/09/23/8a6d46da-4331-11e4-b47c-f5889e061e5f_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.08bcd2b8f713

 Like most of you, I am deeply passionate about the arts, I hope that this will be a nice weekly reminder for all of us, myself included, to find something beautiful we may have missed and to force us to spend a few minutes each week thinking about something artistic, maybe something inspiring and possibly thought-provoking. Will you listen and think with me each week? I'll bet we can find a lot of amazing things that we may have missed, and ponder thoughts we may not have pondered before.

What is one beautiful thing that you saw today that you've never realized before? Was there a lovely piece of music that took you out of a daze of accomplishment? Was there a performance you recently saw that took was a reprieve from the stresses of every day? I'd love to hear more about it! 

Here is something that I think is beautiful, and maybe you will too. Have a great day, know that there is someone smiling and sending you hugs and positive energy. - MT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=891JUSQplzU