Ban Me

In the 1980’s, the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Council), led by prominent Washington women, such as Tipper Gore and Susan Baker, sought to require labels on record albums to protect young people from what they considered violent, sexual, or profane content. The PMRC was successful, however their parental advisories meant that many albums were given … Continue reading Ban Me →

The Cheese Stands Alone

Everything we do is part of a vast chain of events. Sometimes things work out to our advantage. Sometimes not. There are no guarantees. While we might want to minimize suffering and give our children a better world, the outcome of all our efforts is at best uncertain. We might long for stability, peace, and … Continue reading The Cheese Stands Alone →

Greatness

Some say the USA is a “great” country. To be fair, millions of people consider their countries great as well. Some want to make America great “again.” I’m not sure they can define what greatness means, beyond “my country first” or “the way things used to be.” Some in high places seem to believe they … Continue reading Greatness →

Ring in the Nose

Mom had a go-to expression for moments when it looked like I was about to go along with the crowd or when I wasn’t thinking for myself. Her go-to phrase was, “Ring in the nose!” The implication was that I was being led around like a compliant bull rather than making my own decisions. I’ve … Continue reading Ring in the Nose →

The Unthinkable

Back in college, when we discussed the influences of “nature and nurture,” genetics and upbringing, inevitably the notion of a child “raised by wolves” came up. Fictional stories like Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan or Mowgli from Kipling’s The Jungle Book made us wonder what would happen if a child was left alone in the wild. … Continue reading The Unthinkable →

An Opus

I’ve always been troubled by the ending of the film, Mr. Holland’s Opus. (Warning: Spoilers ahead.) The story is about a would-be composer who became a high school band director. Mr. Holland’s time and energy were so consumed by his calling as a teacher that he put his dreams on hold. Early on, his school … Continue reading An Opus →

A Music Lesson

Before I played the Tomasi Concerto with the IU Orchestra, Keith Brown, the conductor, gave me some advice. He said words to this effect: “Keep in mind, a large orchestra can’t turn on a dime like a pianist can. Think of the orchestra like a tractor trailer, and a pianist like sports car.” Good advice. … Continue reading A Music Lesson →

Opportunities

For two years (Fall 1975 through Spring 1977), I had the privilege of being a student of Jerry Coker at Duke University. He began his professional career as a saxophonist with the Woody Herman band in the mid-1950s. While he was a doctoral student at Indiana University he led the Indiana University Jazz Ensemble on … Continue reading Opportunities →

First Things First

In 1944, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello performed one of the best comedy dialogs of all time. If you’ve never heard it, you should check it out. It starts like this: Abbott: Well, Costello, I'm going to New York with you. You know Bucky Harris, the Yankee's manager, gave me a job as coach for … Continue reading First Things First →

Exile

When I taught a freshman course called, “Justice and the Good Society,” I used an equilateral triangle to describe the relationship between church, state, and individuals. My point was that historically speaking, whenever there was not a healthy tension between the three, society suffered. When two of these conspired, the third was in trouble. For … Continue reading Exile →