by Dawn | May 23, 2013 | business, education reform, music
We were playing guitar, last night. My husband is a classically trained guitarist. I’m an untrained disaster. It’s a perfect combination. Sort of like The Monkees, who I loved growing up. One musician and a cute front man. I’m the cute front man. I...
by Dawn | May 16, 2013 | music, satire, Teaching, technology
“Miss, come here.” I do. “Can you please explain to him why he’s stupid?” said friend about friend. “Elaborate? Give me the details of this conversation?” I inquire. “He’s got $80 headphones.” friend says....
by Dawn | Jan 14, 2013 | family, food, music, parenting, Rhode Island, simplicity, sustainability
I love the farmer’s market. I feel comfortable. There are people like me at farmer’s markets. There are people with canvas bags, no doubt tons of vegetarians, and older parents. That makes me smile because though I feel young at heart, and I hate it when...
by Dawn | Nov 21, 2012 | family, music, parenting, religion, satire, simplicity, sustainability
Christmas appeared early this year in our local stores–about three weeks before the Fourth of July, I think. It’s not that I don’t love the site of a freshly-decorated fake tree with a pine-smelling air freshener trying to convince me it’s...
by Dawn | Sep 23, 2012 | music, Teaching
I love music. I wanted to be a professional musician, but there was one small problem. I couldn’t read music. And I’d never had a clarinet lesson. I was third-chair third clarinet in the high school band which I joined junior year. Everyone else joined in...
by Dawn | Sep 22, 2012 | music, satire, Teaching
This past summer I attended a concert in honor of a person who profoundly influenced my life—my high school band director, Tom Kessler. He was the kind of teacher who educated the “whole student,” and though I suspect he originally planned to stay a few years...
