Music to fill the air at IASD - - January 23, 2017
I am very much looking forward to conducting at my alma mater this weekend!!
This article appeared in the local newspaper, The Indiana Gazette.
Thoughts of a String Educator
Showing posts with label Indiana High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indiana High School. Show all posts
Monday, January 23, 2017
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Reconnecting with Friends
Today I had the pleasure of reconnecting with a couple of friends from many years ago. While here at Interlochen during the summers, I often have the opportunity to see folks from around the country and rekindle old friendships. Occasionally, however, I have the opportunity to reconnect with friends from long ago in my life in ways that are completely unexpected. Today was one of those days.
First, this morning I had lunch with Mike, a student from the early 1990s at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Mike was a trumpet player in the Wind Ensemble and in my Orchestra. He was one of those students that involved himself deeply in the lives of his teachers and allowed us to be deeply involved in his. I could always tell that we would be lifelong friends as he became an adult. Following his graduation from Eleanor Roosevelt High School, he remained in close touch with me and my colleague Sally Wagner. Mike had two very significant influences in my life during those years.
First, when my wife Barbra was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1997, Mike came to me and asked if he could ride in her honor at an MS 150 Bike Tour event. Of course, I was honored that he would think to do this, and
upon not very much reflection, I asked him if he would mind if I rode with him. Mike and I rode in that event and the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Music Community really rallied around us. We raised over $5,000 between us for that Bike Tour event and it represented the beginning of many years of cycling events raising money for the MS Society for me. I believe that Mike and I rode in two or three MS Bike Tour events in those years. We always had a blast. I continued riding in them for many years after. Mike started it all for me. I continue to be a cycling enthusiasts today and all of that is due to Mike.
upon not very much reflection, I asked him if he would mind if I rode with him. Mike and I rode in that event and the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Music Community really rallied around us. We raised over $5,000 between us for that Bike Tour event and it represented the beginning of many years of cycling events raising money for the MS Society for me. I believe that Mike and I rode in two or three MS Bike Tour events in those years. We always had a blast. I continued riding in them for many years after. Mike started it all for me. I continue to be a cycling enthusiasts today and all of that is due to Mike.
Secondly, many of you know that I love progressive rock music. Mike is responsible for turning me on to one of my all-time favorite progressive rock bands, Dream Theater. I will never forget the day he came into my office, handed me a Dream Theater CD, and told me to give it a listen. That CD was their early recording, Images and Words. I immediately loved it. It's still is one of my favorite recordings to this day. I think I own every Dream Theater record that has been made since. Mike had a good sense of my musical tastes and even as a young guy, he was confident enough to turn me on to this awesome band.
Mike and I had a great breakfast this morning. We swapped stories about our lives, families, work, and involvement in our respective churches. It was so comfortable to get together, drink some coffee, and catch up on 15 or 20 years of absence. What a wonderful way to spend my morning.
As I returned to Interlochen, I was exchanging text messages with a friend from my high-school days in Indiana, Pennsylvania. She was dropping off her son at Interlochen for 3 weeks of intensive jazz bass study today. My friend, Jeanne, had called me several weeks ago to find out a little bit more about the camp when her son was encouraged to attend by a potential college professor who would be teaching here. As she researched the camp, she found out that I was on faculty here and reached out to me to get just a little more information. Today was their day to drop off their son. Jeanne and her husband Dan, another friend from high school, are just like I remember them from the early 1980s. I pulled into the parking lot just as they were saying goodbye to their son and we exchanged 15 or 20 minutes of wonderful conversation. We exchanged memories of classes, friendships, and musical activities. They told me a little bit about Scott's musical background and also of his sister's activities. They are such a lovely family. I know that their son is going to have a great time here at Interlochen. I am so excited that I can be a small connection to home while he is here. I am also thrilled that toward the end of camp we are going to be able to spend a little bit more time together catching up on the past 25 or 30 years.
It is so wonderful to rekindle old friendships. I really believe that our friendships and relationships make us who we are. Today, I was reminded of how fortunate I am to have so many wonderful people in my life. These folks we're a great reminder for me today. Thanks to all of you that are involved in my life and care for me. We all need each other; sometimes more than one could ever know.
Peace.
Scott
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
The Doobie Brothers!
So, here I am hangin out, listening to the Doobie Brothers tear it up. They are fantastic!
I have two overarching memories of the Doobie Brothers from my childhood that I will share real quickly. One involves "China Grove" and the other, "What a Food Believes."
The year was 1978. I was in 7th grade at Indian (PA) Junior High. I loved being in junior high and was working hard to figure out the social situation in a junior high. I was a good musician, a good student, and a mediocre athlete. I didn't dress in the latest fashions, but had a knack for getting by with a few well placed labels and fashion items: a clear plastic belt, one pair of Levis, a pair of Nikes, and occasionally a jean jacket (not Levis). I only remember a couple of teachers and classes with any clarity. English was my favorite. Mr. Petro, my English teacher was really cool. He gave interesting assignments and seemed to like me. He inspired my creativity in all the right ways. Mr. Shadel was the band director. He was all band director. And, while I was a violinist, I played percussion in the band and really enjoyed it. I learned a great deal about adolescence in band. Back there in the percussion section, there was much to learn - and not really having anything to do with music most of the time. Finally, I remember Art class and Ms. Olsen. She was very cool. She always played the radio while we worked on assignments. I was a horrible visual artist, but it was so fun to listen to great tunes on the radio, tell stories, laugh, and generally have a great time. The tune that I remember hearing all of the time in that class was "What a Fool Believes." Michael McDonald's amazing voice was intoxicating. I couldn't get enough of it. That song must have come on the radio every single day of 1978 during my art class. I think of that class every time I hear it to this day.
China Grove was released in 1973, but I was first introduced to it in 1979 or so. I was playing in one of my first bands, and had to learn a lot of music on bass in a short time. China Grove was one of the tunes. Our singer, Ricky, and our guitarist, Joe, really already knew the tune and they wanted the rest of us to get it down quickly. It was perfect for Ricky's voice and Joe could tear it up on guitar. It quickly became our best tune and we played it at every show. We even got to play it as part of a warm up act for the Iron City House Rockers and the Silencers, a couple of regional bands from Pittsburgh that had a little bit of chart success in those years. What a blast!! I think of that show every time I hear China Grove: the lights, the sound of the crowd, the feeling. It was something I wanted to experience for the rest of my life. Fortunately, as a musician, I have had that feeling many more times in my life. I am truly blessed to make music for a living!
There are definitely memories from other Doobies songs, but those two are the biggies. So, for now, I am going to hang out and enjoy the show. They sound great.
Peace.
Scott
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
My Big Sister!
Hi all.
The following is a wonderful interview with my older sister, Julianne, that appeared in the Indiana Gazette in Indiana, PA, today. She is a magnificent string teacher and is a magnificent example of the phrase that I use so much: "teaching music is simply a vehicle for loving children."
Her love and energy for her students is boundless. I think that comes through in the article!
Peace.
Scott
MONDAY Q&A: Teacher offers music education -- with strings attached
Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 3:00 am | Updated: 11:45 am, Mon Dec 13, 2010.
Editor's Note: The Indiana Area School District offers the only stringed-instrument training program in the county, and one of the few nationally, thanks in large part to the efforts of instructor Julianne Laird. She recently sat down with Gazette staffer Nicole Roser to discuss the establishment of the program and the importance of music.
Question: How long have you been a teacher?
Answer: I've been a teacher for 17 1/2 years.
Question: Where do you teach?
Answer: I began my teaching career at Commodore Perry School District. I taught for three years and then I went back to get my master's degree in voice performance at the University of Akron. And after that, I sang for a while and had some wonderful experiences, including singing for several years (with a Pittsburgh choir). Then, I had an opportunity to return to teaching through long-term subbing and I long-term subbed in the Marion Center, Punxsutawney and Indiana school districts, and then a position opened up in Indiana and I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity, and I've been here ever since.
Question: When did you decide to become a teacher and why did you choose to study music?
Answer: I chose to study music because I made a lot of music in school as a kid and I got to the end of my senior year of high school, and I knew that music was calling me. Truly I wanted to be a singer -- that was my dream -- and some day after I retire I still hope to be a singer again. I loved teaching when I started to teach music right after college and I started to teach that fall. I loved teaching then, but I really knew that I was meant to be a teacher when I returned to teaching after singing for a while. I do love, love, love my job. The most important reason why I teach music is for the children, and I just feel so grateful to have this opportunity. I have this wonderful job that every day I get to sing, dance, play music and make music with these wonderful students.
Question: What do you enjoy most about teaching?
Answer: I love teaching and working with the students and young people and offering to them the opportunity to love music because music is a lifelong skill. It is something they can learn forever and, in our global society, music is a language that crosses all of the barriers so they can have that music with them for the rest of their lives. It gives life to life.
Question: You are in charge of the string-training program at Horace Mann Elementary and Eisenhower, which is supposedly one of the few in the whole country. What can you tell me about its establishment, and how did you get involved?
Answer: When I was a little girl, I went to East Pike Elementary School, and my teacher Mr. Stanley Servinsky knew that my brother had been playing the violin for a couple of years and he was younger than I was, so Mr. Servinsky said, "Julianne, you already play guitar and piano, you should play a string instrument," and he said pick one. … my brother already played violin so I picked the cello and I started to play it, and I played all through school. I took a few private lessons, but not very many, and I played through college and some in graduate school, but it wasn't until I came back to Indiana and I was teaching that I had the opportunity to teach strings. Some of my colleagues said I should teach strings because I have "chops" -- "chops" is a music teacher term that means that you can play something. There was some concern for not having time for someone to teach the third-grade violin program, which had already been in place for 30 years, so I said I would be willing to take that job at Horace Mann and Eisenhower. I was already the general music instructor for several years before the third-grade program opened up.
We are one of the few third-grade violin programs in the country. It started in the early '70s when Mr. Servinsky went to the Music Educators National Conference Convention and saw violin programs in the third grade. He got some money through our district and some money from the Monday Music Club to start a program. Together with the grant and money from the district, he bought some cardboard violins, and that's how it all began. Now, what I inherited was a whole cabinet full of violins at both schools. We had already acquired real instruments, because Mr. Servinsky then went out and found school districts that were stopping their string program and he got the administration to help him and they would go in and buy used instruments from other school districts for very, very cheap. So that is how our elementary string program really built here in Indiana.
I've been continuing to carry that torch so every child in the third grade in the Indiana school district has the chance to learn the violin. At the moment, I only teach the third-grade violin program at Horace Mann, because we had such increased enrollment at Eisenhower that the band director now teaches it, but I am hoping to have the chance to teach it again because I truly, truly have a passion for teaching strings.
Question: How often do they practice?
Answer: Once a week for a half hour.
Question: Do they have special concerts?
Answer: Yes, we will have a program in January for the end of the first semester. Then other classes will start and then they will give another program at the end of the school year.
Question: So the kids really enjoy this special experience?
Answer: Yes, what we call it in the string-teaching world is "alternative styles," and it is a buzzword right now in teaching strings. Traditional teaching of strings is one aspect of learning to string, but alternative styles open up a whole new world of playing.
Question: Are there other string ensembles in the district?
Answer: We have in our school district an elementary string ensemble that Dr. Jason Rummel and Mr. Jason Olear teach, our instrumental teachers, and that is for anybody who is in elementary school who wants to play in a large ensemble. We also have an orchestra at the junior and senior highs that is directed by Mrs. Beth Grafton. We are the only string program in Indiana County, and we have had the only string program in the county for more than 30 years. I think strings are such an important part of the curriculum and they really make a round music program. If you have band and orchestra and chorus, then you truly have a round program. And wherever we have that wonderful rounded program, strings are a necessary component of the finest school music programs. We are so privileged that we can offer this to our children in our schools.
Question: Do you direct any other ensembles?
Answer: I do. I am the chorus teacher at both schools for fifth and sixth grades and I have a very active girls' chorus and I have a very active boys' chorus. The other string group that I have -- I've tried a couple of things to start string programs at both schools -- one was called fiddle club, where students would come in the evening and have a chance to play all different styles of music with local adults who play string instruments such as fiddles, string base, cellos and some guitars. We had a bagpipe in one time, which isn't a string instrument, but we had fiddle club and a great time. I also had a small chamber ensemble at both schools for a while. But this year what is happening that is special at Horace Mann that started a couple of years ago is called String Lunch, and the students who are playing string instruments can choose to do this. They come to my room and bring their lunches at lunchtime. We do this once a week when they bring their lunches and we eat lunch in the room and then we play the rest of the time. It is for playing by ear. We play standard rock tunes, Irish reels and jigs, 12-bar blues improvisations, old-time fiddle music and contradance music. Boys and girls who come to that really have a lot of fun and we jam and we are about to play our first gig ever.
Question: Where is that going to be held?
Answer: At Bethany Place. We are really excited about that. It is coming up for the holidays.
Question: Does musical talent run in your family?
Answer: My mom and dad are amateur musicians, but my mom's father and my dad's mother were both musicians. My dad's mom was a church organist and my mom's dad played the piano, played ragtime piano and cornet and he taught dance at Kennywood Park in the big pavilion. My brother, Scott, and my sister, Stephanie, and I never knew our grandparents and my parents never had any idea that we would have this ability in our family. As children we were drawn to it and then it became a lifestyle for all of us. After I went forward with my instruments, Scott was already playing violin, and he also played drums, bass guitar and piano, and then Stephanie played violin and she picked up saxophone, flute and piano.
Today, Scott is an orchestra director and travels all around the world and teaches teachers how to be better string teachers. He works in Durham, N.C., at North Carolina School of Science and Math, and he does orchestras and he is a string clinician for teachers all around the country. My sister is the orchestra director at Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School and she teaches in the district. All three of us still play music and we all play traditional music, as well as fun and nontraditional styles. Scott also plays and writes a lot of jazz and he is a recording engineer and my sister also has an Irish group with her husband and children and is also principal of the second violin section with the Altoona Symphony. So, yeah, music runs in our family and we are really grateful for that, too.
Question: What advice do you have for future music teachers?
Answer: The most important thing that a future music teacher can do is work on their skills right now -- their playing skills, their singing skills, playing piano, playing guitar and maybe some type of instrument that you can accompany singing. What I like about singing is all children have a singing voice and everybody can sing, but that singing becomes a jumping-off place for playing instruments and playing in a group, and there is nothing like playing an instrument in a group -- that is the coolest thing ever. So my advice to aspiring teachers is to play and sing and make as much music as possible now so they are ready to share that love of music with children.
Next Week: Jeff Wacker, ArtsPath assistant director at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Editor's Note: Do you know someone who would be a great subject for the Monday Q&A? If so, please call Jason Levan at (724) 465-5555, ext 270.
JULIANNE LAIRD, at a glance....
Occupation: General music teacher, chorus and string instructor
Family: Parents, David and Nancy Laird; husband, Richard Workman; and brother and sister, Scott and Stephanie
Residence: Indiana
Where I grew up: Indiana
Hobbies: Music, fishing, going to the beach, stand-up paddle boarding, reading, traveling and steampunk
Favorite food: Ice cream
Food I refuse to eat: Liver
Favorite movie: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
Last book I read: "The Clockwork Three," by Matthew Kirby
Favorite way to spend a day: With my husband
Pet peeve: People who are unkind. I try really hard to be kind to people.
People who most inspired me: My parents
The following is a wonderful interview with my older sister, Julianne, that appeared in the Indiana Gazette in Indiana, PA, today. She is a magnificent string teacher and is a magnificent example of the phrase that I use so much: "teaching music is simply a vehicle for loving children."
Her love and energy for her students is boundless. I think that comes through in the article!
Peace.
Scott
MONDAY Q&A: Teacher offers music education -- with strings attached
Posted: Monday, December 13, 2010 3:00 am | Updated: 11:45 am, Mon Dec 13, 2010.
Editor's Note: The Indiana Area School District offers the only stringed-instrument training program in the county, and one of the few nationally, thanks in large part to the efforts of instructor Julianne Laird. She recently sat down with Gazette staffer Nicole Roser to discuss the establishment of the program and the importance of music.
Question: How long have you been a teacher?
Answer: I've been a teacher for 17 1/2 years.
Question: Where do you teach?
Answer: I began my teaching career at Commodore Perry School District. I taught for three years and then I went back to get my master's degree in voice performance at the University of Akron. And after that, I sang for a while and had some wonderful experiences, including singing for several years (with a Pittsburgh choir). Then, I had an opportunity to return to teaching through long-term subbing and I long-term subbed in the Marion Center, Punxsutawney and Indiana school districts, and then a position opened up in Indiana and I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity, and I've been here ever since.
Question: When did you decide to become a teacher and why did you choose to study music?
Answer: I chose to study music because I made a lot of music in school as a kid and I got to the end of my senior year of high school, and I knew that music was calling me. Truly I wanted to be a singer -- that was my dream -- and some day after I retire I still hope to be a singer again. I loved teaching when I started to teach music right after college and I started to teach that fall. I loved teaching then, but I really knew that I was meant to be a teacher when I returned to teaching after singing for a while. I do love, love, love my job. The most important reason why I teach music is for the children, and I just feel so grateful to have this opportunity. I have this wonderful job that every day I get to sing, dance, play music and make music with these wonderful students.
Question: What do you enjoy most about teaching?
Answer: I love teaching and working with the students and young people and offering to them the opportunity to love music because music is a lifelong skill. It is something they can learn forever and, in our global society, music is a language that crosses all of the barriers so they can have that music with them for the rest of their lives. It gives life to life.
Question: You are in charge of the string-training program at Horace Mann Elementary and Eisenhower, which is supposedly one of the few in the whole country. What can you tell me about its establishment, and how did you get involved?
Answer: When I was a little girl, I went to East Pike Elementary School, and my teacher Mr. Stanley Servinsky knew that my brother had been playing the violin for a couple of years and he was younger than I was, so Mr. Servinsky said, "Julianne, you already play guitar and piano, you should play a string instrument," and he said pick one. … my brother already played violin so I picked the cello and I started to play it, and I played all through school. I took a few private lessons, but not very many, and I played through college and some in graduate school, but it wasn't until I came back to Indiana and I was teaching that I had the opportunity to teach strings. Some of my colleagues said I should teach strings because I have "chops" -- "chops" is a music teacher term that means that you can play something. There was some concern for not having time for someone to teach the third-grade violin program, which had already been in place for 30 years, so I said I would be willing to take that job at Horace Mann and Eisenhower. I was already the general music instructor for several years before the third-grade program opened up.
We are one of the few third-grade violin programs in the country. It started in the early '70s when Mr. Servinsky went to the Music Educators National Conference Convention and saw violin programs in the third grade. He got some money through our district and some money from the Monday Music Club to start a program. Together with the grant and money from the district, he bought some cardboard violins, and that's how it all began. Now, what I inherited was a whole cabinet full of violins at both schools. We had already acquired real instruments, because Mr. Servinsky then went out and found school districts that were stopping their string program and he got the administration to help him and they would go in and buy used instruments from other school districts for very, very cheap. So that is how our elementary string program really built here in Indiana.
I've been continuing to carry that torch so every child in the third grade in the Indiana school district has the chance to learn the violin. At the moment, I only teach the third-grade violin program at Horace Mann, because we had such increased enrollment at Eisenhower that the band director now teaches it, but I am hoping to have the chance to teach it again because I truly, truly have a passion for teaching strings.
Question: How often do they practice?
Answer: Once a week for a half hour.
Question: Do they have special concerts?
Answer: Yes, we will have a program in January for the end of the first semester. Then other classes will start and then they will give another program at the end of the school year.
Question: So the kids really enjoy this special experience?
Answer: Yes, what we call it in the string-teaching world is "alternative styles," and it is a buzzword right now in teaching strings. Traditional teaching of strings is one aspect of learning to string, but alternative styles open up a whole new world of playing.
Question: Are there other string ensembles in the district?
Answer: We have in our school district an elementary string ensemble that Dr. Jason Rummel and Mr. Jason Olear teach, our instrumental teachers, and that is for anybody who is in elementary school who wants to play in a large ensemble. We also have an orchestra at the junior and senior highs that is directed by Mrs. Beth Grafton. We are the only string program in Indiana County, and we have had the only string program in the county for more than 30 years. I think strings are such an important part of the curriculum and they really make a round music program. If you have band and orchestra and chorus, then you truly have a round program. And wherever we have that wonderful rounded program, strings are a necessary component of the finest school music programs. We are so privileged that we can offer this to our children in our schools.
Question: Do you direct any other ensembles?
Answer: I do. I am the chorus teacher at both schools for fifth and sixth grades and I have a very active girls' chorus and I have a very active boys' chorus. The other string group that I have -- I've tried a couple of things to start string programs at both schools -- one was called fiddle club, where students would come in the evening and have a chance to play all different styles of music with local adults who play string instruments such as fiddles, string base, cellos and some guitars. We had a bagpipe in one time, which isn't a string instrument, but we had fiddle club and a great time. I also had a small chamber ensemble at both schools for a while. But this year what is happening that is special at Horace Mann that started a couple of years ago is called String Lunch, and the students who are playing string instruments can choose to do this. They come to my room and bring their lunches at lunchtime. We do this once a week when they bring their lunches and we eat lunch in the room and then we play the rest of the time. It is for playing by ear. We play standard rock tunes, Irish reels and jigs, 12-bar blues improvisations, old-time fiddle music and contradance music. Boys and girls who come to that really have a lot of fun and we jam and we are about to play our first gig ever.
Question: Where is that going to be held?
Answer: At Bethany Place. We are really excited about that. It is coming up for the holidays.
Question: Does musical talent run in your family?
Answer: My mom and dad are amateur musicians, but my mom's father and my dad's mother were both musicians. My dad's mom was a church organist and my mom's dad played the piano, played ragtime piano and cornet and he taught dance at Kennywood Park in the big pavilion. My brother, Scott, and my sister, Stephanie, and I never knew our grandparents and my parents never had any idea that we would have this ability in our family. As children we were drawn to it and then it became a lifestyle for all of us. After I went forward with my instruments, Scott was already playing violin, and he also played drums, bass guitar and piano, and then Stephanie played violin and she picked up saxophone, flute and piano.
Today, Scott is an orchestra director and travels all around the world and teaches teachers how to be better string teachers. He works in Durham, N.C., at North Carolina School of Science and Math, and he does orchestras and he is a string clinician for teachers all around the country. My sister is the orchestra director at Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School and she teaches in the district. All three of us still play music and we all play traditional music, as well as fun and nontraditional styles. Scott also plays and writes a lot of jazz and he is a recording engineer and my sister also has an Irish group with her husband and children and is also principal of the second violin section with the Altoona Symphony. So, yeah, music runs in our family and we are really grateful for that, too.
Question: What advice do you have for future music teachers?
Answer: The most important thing that a future music teacher can do is work on their skills right now -- their playing skills, their singing skills, playing piano, playing guitar and maybe some type of instrument that you can accompany singing. What I like about singing is all children have a singing voice and everybody can sing, but that singing becomes a jumping-off place for playing instruments and playing in a group, and there is nothing like playing an instrument in a group -- that is the coolest thing ever. So my advice to aspiring teachers is to play and sing and make as much music as possible now so they are ready to share that love of music with children.
Next Week: Jeff Wacker, ArtsPath assistant director at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Editor's Note: Do you know someone who would be a great subject for the Monday Q&A? If so, please call Jason Levan at (724) 465-5555, ext 270.
JULIANNE LAIRD, at a glance....
Occupation: General music teacher, chorus and string instructor
Family: Parents, David and Nancy Laird; husband, Richard Workman; and brother and sister, Scott and Stephanie
Residence: Indiana
Where I grew up: Indiana
Hobbies: Music, fishing, going to the beach, stand-up paddle boarding, reading, traveling and steampunk
Favorite food: Ice cream
Food I refuse to eat: Liver
Favorite movie: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
Last book I read: "The Clockwork Three," by Matthew Kirby
Favorite way to spend a day: With my husband
Pet peeve: People who are unkind. I try really hard to be kind to people.
People who most inspired me: My parents
Saturday, January 24, 2009
I just have to put a quick note up about the Steelers today. I grew up in the '70's in Indiana, PA, about 40 miles from Pittsburgh. Some of the best memories of my childhood revolve around the Steelers. I so vividly remember watching the Steelers with my Mom and Dad, cheering for Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, Franco Harris, and others. I remember wearing Steeler tassel caps and yellow sleeved football coats to school all winter long. I remember meeting Rocky Blier, shaking his hand, and talking with him about how much impact his book, "Fighting Back" had on my life. I remember all of the various Steeler players that came to a local church's father/son banquets that I attended with Mr. Degaetano, a neighbor that had no kids of his own to take. I could go on and on: football cards, posters, playing backyard football and pretending to be the Black and Gold, trips to Pittsburgh to see preseason games at Three Rivers Stadium, and more. And now, my kids are developing similar memories of championships with favorite players like "Big" Ben, "Fast" Willie, Troy Polamalu, and others.
I love what the Steelers stand for, too: defense, running the ball, nothing flashy, consistency, steadfastness, not paying the big free agent contract, cold weather, hard hitting, smash-mouth football, team first, loyalty, and certainly - Pittsburgh. I am so proud to be a Steeler fan. I am so happy that my kids are part of that tradition. Next Sunday will be a blast. Go Steelers!!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
25th High School Reunion Indiana HS Class of 1983
On Friday night, I attended my 25th high school reunion. I had a great time. It was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and to make some new ones, too. I am not one of those folks that has bad memories of high school. I had a great time. I truly value the relationships that I established there and always look forward to these type of events.
I have 4 particularly close friends from high school and stay in relatively close touch with each of them. We try to get our families together about once a year and have enjoyed watching each others' kids continue to grow and develop into the great young people that we expect them to. Our wives have become friends over the years and these family friendships are important to all of us. Three of the 5 guys in that crowd were able to make it to this gathering and that group served as "home base" for us and for our wives throughout the night.
Other than that crew, I particularly enjoyed rekindling 2 friendships from 25 years ago. First, I spent a good deal of time catching up with Dean, a friend that I remember particularly from band, but I think we were in several other classes together as well. He has two beautiful kids, a wonderful wife, and works in the software industry. We just seemed to connect on a cool level and I will look forward to communicating with him as we move forward. The connection on this evening was a common interest in the music of Jean Luc Ponty, the famous electric violinist. It seems Dean began listening to Ponty's music as a 10th grader. I had no idea. I began listening to his music sometime in Jr. High and have been a fan ever since. Dean's parents were both educators like mine and I suspect that our families were somewhat similar. His kids are into music and so are mine. I am not surprised that Dean and I reconnected at this reunion, but I am glad that we did.
The other conversation that was particularly enlightening, was with Valerie. I remember Valerie to be a quiet, really nice girl. But, I really didn't know her that well. Near the end of the evening, I had the chance to ask her what she was up to lately. She reluctantly told me that she was in Boston and after I pressed a bit, I found out that she works in the Harvard Graduate School of Education is interested in career theory and understanding the employment market as it relates to today's higher education student. We had a brief, but interesting, converstation about our work and definitely found a strong common interest in education. I hope that we will continue our dialog in the future. I know that I can learn alot from her.
The night was certainly another reminder to me that relationships are so important. It is so important to be open to to the relationships that come our way. How many opportunities we have to learn about other places, people, and ideas. And, really, we just have to be open to seeing those opportunities when they arise.
I wonder who I'll meet this week? i wonder what I'll learn this week? I can't wait to find out!
Peace.
Scott
I have 4 particularly close friends from high school and stay in relatively close touch with each of them. We try to get our families together about once a year and have enjoyed watching each others' kids continue to grow and develop into the great young people that we expect them to. Our wives have become friends over the years and these family friendships are important to all of us. Three of the 5 guys in that crowd were able to make it to this gathering and that group served as "home base" for us and for our wives throughout the night.
Other than that crew, I particularly enjoyed rekindling 2 friendships from 25 years ago. First, I spent a good deal of time catching up with Dean, a friend that I remember particularly from band, but I think we were in several other classes together as well. He has two beautiful kids, a wonderful wife, and works in the software industry. We just seemed to connect on a cool level and I will look forward to communicating with him as we move forward. The connection on this evening was a common interest in the music of Jean Luc Ponty, the famous electric violinist. It seems Dean began listening to Ponty's music as a 10th grader. I had no idea. I began listening to his music sometime in Jr. High and have been a fan ever since. Dean's parents were both educators like mine and I suspect that our families were somewhat similar. His kids are into music and so are mine. I am not surprised that Dean and I reconnected at this reunion, but I am glad that we did.
The other conversation that was particularly enlightening, was with Valerie. I remember Valerie to be a quiet, really nice girl. But, I really didn't know her that well. Near the end of the evening, I had the chance to ask her what she was up to lately. She reluctantly told me that she was in Boston and after I pressed a bit, I found out that she works in the Harvard Graduate School of Education is interested in career theory and understanding the employment market as it relates to today's higher education student. We had a brief, but interesting, converstation about our work and definitely found a strong common interest in education. I hope that we will continue our dialog in the future. I know that I can learn alot from her.
The night was certainly another reminder to me that relationships are so important. It is so important to be open to to the relationships that come our way. How many opportunities we have to learn about other places, people, and ideas. And, really, we just have to be open to seeing those opportunities when they arise.
I wonder who I'll meet this week? i wonder what I'll learn this week? I can't wait to find out!
Peace.
Scott
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