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June 27, 2005
Active Entertainment
Most people, when faced with a free evening, start thinking about what movie to see, or what TV shows to watch. A great many folks spend a lot of time in passive activities, where they sit and watch someone else do something. Sometimes they even make the effort to buy tickets to an event, dress up, leave the house, get in the car and drive, and go to a gathering place (arena, concert hall) and sit and watch someone else do something.
Is there anything wrong with this? Its just entertainment, after all. There’s nothing inherently wrong in all this, but imagine what it would be like if there were no movies, TV, sporting events, Internet, theme parks, or radio shows. What would we do with ourselves? Could we survive?
Learning the Old Ways Anew
During the spate of hurricanes here in Florida during the summer of 2004, some folks got a taste of what it was like to live without TV, movies, the internet, etc. They were forced to discover “new” ways to entertain themselves, and some even found themselves a little sorry when the power came back on. But they apparently were not too sorry, as they soon drifted back to there old passive, entertainment-consuming ways.
What is Active Entertainment?
So what is “active entertainment?” Things like making music, telling stories, playing games and socializing with friends and the local community. Whenever my wife Sheryl and I spend an evening conversing with friends, or gathering together with our fellow musicians to play songs for each other, we feel like it was time well spent.
One reason I am so passionate about teaching people to make music, is that not only am I teaching them a valuable skill, I am giving them a tool for engaging in active entertainment. Playing the piano, especially pop music, can become a community activity. Gather your friends around, play a few songs, sing together. No need to be a virtuoso; just pound out a few chords. Folks used to do this in their leisure time, even when the power was on.
If it sounds good, it is good!
Posted by leon at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2005
I'm Back!
Well, I made one entry on this blog, and then got caught up in preparing to go to Hawaii, of all places! Why Hawaii? My daughter just graduated from high school, and Grandma (my mother in law) wanted to take her to Hawaii to celebrate. Mom and Dad got to tag along. It’s rough, but someone has to do it.
Taught a class at Brevard Community College on Tuesday (June 14). A brilliant group of 20 people. What made them brilliant? They laughed at my jokes! No, actually, they were all eager to learn, and ready to stretch themselves mentally and musically, and that makes it a real joy for me.
One of the advantages of teaching these classes is that everyone who attends is there because they want to be. This is something they want to learn. Many of my students have been looking for a way to get “back to the piano” for many years, and this class provided them a way. Nothing beats seeing the look of excitement and enthusiasm on their faces, as they realize that the world of music making is not closed to them.
I have a few more classes to teach before “closing down” for the summer. I’ll be continuing to teach privately, while looking for new places to present my piano workshops in the fall and on in to next year.
If it sounds good, it is good!
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Posted by leon at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)