Category Archives: Inspiration

Events and ideas that inspire musicianship and a desire to play.

A Leap of Faith

From time to time, Chuck and I do encounter interesting people.  What makes them special is that they have taken a leap of faith which has propelled their lives in new directions, often at midlife. Continue reading

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Filed under Inspiration, Returning to Music

Barry Douglas: A Key Source of Personal Inspiration

Barry Douglas

Barry Douglas

Chance encounters can change your life.   That’s what happened to me when I encountered Barry Douglas, almost by accident.

Barry Douglas is a world-class pianist from Ireland, who skyrocketed to fame in 1986 when he captured the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky piano competition. Continue reading

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Filed under Inspiration, Musicians of Note, Personal Journey

Life is a Kazoo!

While on vacation in Hilton Head, SC  (escaping a major snowstorm in Detroit!), Chuck and I went looking for a music store — and in the process — stumbled onto a Kazoo factory. Continue reading

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Feedback from a Reader

If you haven’t read all the comments on this blog, then meet Howard, a midlife tenor sax player.    He’s been commenting recently, and  I thought his story was worth sharing.    Way to go Howard!

Howard said 1 month ago:

am interested in your husband’s journey with the saxophone. Two years ago, at age 54, I picked up a tenor and started taking lessons. Continue reading

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Rusty Wins in Baltimore

Kudo’s to the Baltimore Symphony and Music Director Marin Alsop!   The Orchestra invited amateur musicians — what they called “Rusty Musicians” to join them.  They were so overwhelmed with requests that they ended up scheduling a second concert to handle the 400 volunteers.   By all accounts, the experiment was a resounding success.   See the story in  The Washington Post or this blog entry from The Baltimore Sun. Continue reading

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Filed under Inspiration, Opportunities to Play

Pint-Sized Inspiration!

Had an opportunity this afternoon to attend the finals of the Sphinx Competition.   It’s my second year at the finals concert of this amazing program, which hopes to change the face — and expand the repertoire — of American orchestras by including more people of color and more music written by African American and Latino composers.   Continue reading

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The Wonder of Encouragement

More than anything else in our lives, we seek encouragement and support.   A little encouragement is often all that’ s needed to take a risk, try something new, or pick up an instrument again when you left it behind years earlier.    Encouragement can be a very powerful motivator. Continue reading

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Filed under Inspiration, Personal Journey

Passions Know No Boundaries …

This week, I learned that even professional musicians may have a little “midlife musician” in them. Continue reading

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