Anyway I'm sure you've seen on PBS the program of him making this CD. (On Great Performances) Tonight that's on our TV.
I always enjoy it and I've seen it maybe 15 times.
It sets the backdrop for my cooking this evening.
After a day with a migraine I am cooking crustless quiches. I got the recipe and adapted it with changes when I run out of this cheese and need to use that one- from Simply Recipes-one of the sites I really love. It's such a nice recipe. I'm cooking 6 of them, that was 30 eggs.
Pretty expensive overall-about $100 in ingredients.
These are for my snack day. Three times a year we bring treats on a Friday for staff. I try to cook because obviously people like this in the AM. Teachers seem appreciative of the Friday treats. It's quite pleasant to listen to Tony Bennett crooning these love songs with various singers that have such impressive voices. Amazing instruments.
When I was in school in West Virginia in the 60's and 70's -through all my years- we had very well developed music instruction and music teachers. I don't remember ever having to justify that, show why or to defend it. But it was a rigorous program that was highly developed. My elementaries had choirs, glee clubs, in the later grades orchestra, band, jazz bands, choirs, and choruses. We had Winter and spring music programs and every student had participation in these. It wasn't up to teacher choice and their time management or talent, and it wasn't taught entirely by staff not well trained in the arts. We had instruction in music as classes-not electives only-and I learned a lot about composers, symphonies, playing a violin, reading music, about musical theater because we put on shows of course. I participated often using the small talents I had in art, just amazed at my friends who shone in the shows.
It seems that so much of that remains "back in the day."
As I teacher I struggle to find this "progress." Or real reform. I'd like to change that.
I 'd like students in struggling schools-in Program Improvement- to have music. My district kept some level of band when neighbors did not, but I wonder as I teach if the pianists, violinists, composers, musicians that give life meaning aren't sitting in our schools just needing what I got in a very, very poor state in a seriously impoverished school system-one that committed to the arts and music.
I've read that LA Unified is looking to restore the arts.
One thing I know-my evening was free of a great deal of stress just "embracing the legato of the melody."
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