A Remembrance

Recently, an old friend died. For my first fifteen years, he led our department as chair and dean. Dale Bengtson was a wise man, offering good advice and a listening ear. He valued collegiality, the idea that the music faculty ought to work as a team. He once asked, “Would all those who work with … Continue reading A Remembrance →

The End of the Line

I carry a hazy childhood memory of waving goodbye to my father at an airport. As a salesman, he often left home – and returned a week or so later. I got used to daddy leaving and always coming back. At the time, I had no idea that some kids had fathers who left and … Continue reading The End of the Line →

On Our Sleeves

I wrote this piece in 2012. It was my tribute to Coach John Czap and became a part of my book, “On the Shoulders of My Teachers.” “I admit High School P.E. was not my favorite class. It always seemed to me the jocks got the easy A's and the rest of us might get … Continue reading On Our Sleeves →

Realizations

Realizations often come when we least expect them. Recently, in the middle of a rehearsal, I had a realization. As the choir was singing about peace, the question, “What’s the point of religion?” popped into my mind. I suppose many people practice a religion to find God, to know and love God, to discover what … Continue reading Realizations →

Easter Thoughts

I’ve heard people described as “products” of some school or program, as if graduates are manufactured on an assembly line, uniform in appearance and quality. I recall a faculty meeting years ago when we were discussing how to make sure our students received a consistent educational experience. I commented that I believed uniformity was “neither … Continue reading Easter Thoughts →

Civility

30 years ago, we took a trip to Scotland. One of the beautiful things about Scotland, apart from the scenery, was the civility of the drivers there. For example, on the Isle of Skye, there are many “single-track” roads, with turnouts placed at intervals so drivers can let each other pass. I quickly learned whoever … Continue reading Civility →

Pull Together

Recently we watched “The Boys in the Boat,” a film about the 1936 Olympic rowing crew from the University of Washington. While there were many timeless lessons in the story, it seems to me the best was the idea that to win, the team had to learn to row as one. “Every man for himself” … Continue reading Pull Together →

Words and Works

Once upon a time, I lost my keys in the snow. Obviously, they didn’t make it to the bottom of my coat pocket. I realized this when I got to my office. After I retraced my steps, there was still no sign of them, so I mentioned their disappearance to our custodian, Mac, when I … Continue reading Words and Works →

Superiority

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data, the android character, is stronger and tougher than any human. His memory is more accurate, and his brain is much faster. He was built to last for hundreds of years. Data is clearly better than humans in many ways. More recently, a Russian science fiction television series called, … Continue reading Superiority →

Making the Grade

I required listening quizzes as part of my jazz history course. These consisted of 10 excerpts selected from the assigned listening. Students would choose from titles and artists on numbered and lettered lists. So, if I played, “West End Blues,” by Louis Armstrong, a student could answer the letter of the title and the number … Continue reading Making the Grade →