Grab Bag Friday: Garth Fagan

Tonight, I'm going to see a lecture and performance by dancer and choreographer Garth Fagan. Most famously, Fagan won a Tony Award in 1998 for his work on the theatrical version of The Lion King.

I haven't seen The Lion King musical (have you?), but I thought this little piece was interesting. My students and I are always talking about how collaboration can bring you to places you never would have arrived at on your own. Here, Garth Fagan talks about collaborating with musicians and costume designers, and the challenges of creating choreography for dancers who will be wearing elaborate costumes that change their whole shape and balance (I think he uses the word "impossible").

Seriously, check out the animals these dancers are wearing. Of course choreography would be difficult, but can you imagine how hard it must be to dance with an entire antelope on your head?

Monsters of Folk: Say Please

It's no secret that I'm an M. Ward fan (especially Post-War which I like better and better every time I listen to it). So here's a question for you: What happens when you add M. Ward, Conor Oberst (from Bright Eyes), Jim James (from My Morning Jacket), and producer Mike Mogis? Kind of like some alt-folk musical dream team?

Here's a taste. I'm off to listen to some more of the new album from Monsters of Folk:

Rebecca Stead: When You Reach Me

All my friends know I'm cheap. I rarely buy books brand-new and almost never buy them in hardcover. But there's been so much buzz in the kidlit world about Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me that I just had to pick it up (okay, so I also had a gift card for Borders).

Was it worth it? You bet.

I read When You Reach Me in one sitting during yesterday's Bears/Seahawks game (victory...hooray for Kevin!) and I became so absorbed that I completely forgot I was in a crowded bar with football fans cheering all around me. Instead, I was in New York City in the 1970's, contemplating mysterious messages and lost friendship and the physics of Madeline L'Engle's masterpiece, A Wrinkle in Time. When the game was over and Kevin was jumping out of his seat in glee, I had to ask breathlessly for just five more minutes to finish the last few pages. (Okay, we'll leave the discussion of how my husband is gracious enough to watch his Sunday games in a sports bar while his wife reads kidlit novels and eats ice cream in plain view of all the other sports fans whose wives are wearing Patriots jerseys and drinking Shipyard...for another day.)

I won't belabor the point. Gripping. Fun. Mysterious. Real. Worth picking up. Even in hardcover.

Here's what the experts have to say:
Fuse #8
The New York Times

Here's an interview with Ms. Stead from Horn Book (where her book recieved that coveted starred review).

Here's the response from Monica Edinger's fourth grade class. Some of my favorite quotes from the student posts:

"When my teacher read this book to us, my mouth dropped open in a perfect O. This will probably happen to anyone who reads this book."

"The beginning may be a little dull but eventually you will be gritting your teeth and and holding on to your pants."

"Well anyway it’s a mysterious book that is good for kid’s that like to have to wait till the end to understand the important things."

Here's an interesting article by Rebecca Stead on how today's tweens have more purchasing power, but less independence than previous generations.

Grab Bag Friday: Open Notes

So here's an interesting question...

You sit on the exam table, dangle your feet over the edge like a kid, stick out your tongue, breathe deeply, jabber on about this vague pain in your left side, and all the while your doctor is scribbling away on that little clipboard (or in some offices, typing madly away on the keyboard).

Do you ever wish you could see what your doctor writes about you after you walk out of the room?

More importantly, do you think seeing your doctor's notes would improve your health, your healthcare, or your relationship with your doctor?

My very impressive little sister is working on a very impressive (not so little) study called Open Notes, where doctors will make their private notes available to their patients online. As you can imagine, doctors have some mixed feelings about this. Check out Monday's NPR story about Open Notes.

Technically, you can see your notes now if you ask. It's a law. But depending on your doctor, it may be more difficult than trying to get an appointment with the president.

So what do you think?

I definitely would look at my notes if they were online. It would especially be helpful if I could look up past visits because I have a terrible memory (what prescription did we decide I was allergic to again? what was my blood pressure?) and maybe track data (an easily accessible record of my cholesterol levels over the years would be great).

But I do wonder if my doctor would be candid, knowing I could see what she writes. Then again, if I can't see it, does it matter how candid she is? I'm glad people are trying to experiment with different ways of doing things. We've got all these smart people around with great ideas...why not try out a few?

The Ukulele is Back! Zee Avi & George Harrison

Is it just me, or have you been hearing *lots* of ukulele these days? I have to say, despite some hilariously disparaging uke jokes out there (Q: What's the difference between an ukulele and an onion ? A: No one cries when you cut up a ukulele....wocka wocka), I'm kind of liking the trend. There's something irresistibly joyful about the goofy little instrument.

Last night, I was listening to In Tune By Ten on our always-impressive public radio station and host Sara Willis played two ukulele songs in a row. I enjoyed them so much I thought I'd post them here for you:

Zee Avi: Just You and Me


George Harrison: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Elizabeth Strout: Olive Kitteridge

I read much of Olive Kitteridge on the dock outside my dad's house this August. I'd never read any Elizabeth Strout, but knew the book was set in Maine and won the Pulitzer Prize, so I thought it might be worth a try. As soon as I read the opening paragraph, I sighed happily, dangled my feet over the edge of the dock, and settled in:

"For many years Henry Kitteridge was a pharmacist in the next town over, driving every morning on snowy roads, or rainy roads, or summertime roads, when the wild raspberries shot their new growth in brambles along the last section of town before he turned off to where the wider road led to the pharmacy. Retired now, he still wakes early and remembers how mornings used to be his favorite, as though the world were his secret, tires rumbling softly beneath him and the light emerging through the early fog, the brief sight of the bay off to his right, then the pines, tall and slender, and almost always he rode with the window partly open because he loved the smell of the pines and the heavy salt air, and in the winter he loved the smell of the cold." (You can read more of the first chapter at NPR.)

Olive Kitteridge is a collection of short stories that revolve loosely around a retired math teacher (Olive) and her fellow residents of Crosby, Maine. The book is a perfect example of my preferred lakeside reading: slow, exquisite, tinged with melancholy, and focused on all those intricate details that build the whole.

Elizabeth Strout's writing is compassionate and brutally honest. Her characters are complex. Like the rest of us, they succeed and fail and try to stumble on the best they can. Like the rest of us, they're not always likable. Olive herself is judgmental and prickly most of the time (though her husband, Henry, is awfully endearing). In moments as monumental as a hostage situation at the hospital, or as minute as going out for donuts, they grapple with longing and love, a sense of home and belonging, fear, trust, and sadness. Some pull through better than others.

There is a lot of sadness in Olive Kitteridge: lost love, illness, death. But I didn't come away from it feeling depressed or hopeless. I wondered about that for weeks after I read the book. How could it be? How did she do it? I think the answer is in this quote from an interview with Elizabeth Strout in the Kansas City Star:

"I’m most gratified when people say to me after reading the book, 'I see people differently now. I live in a small town. I understand life is more complicated.' I would like my work to be used as a vehicle for forgiveness, for understanding that everybody’s just human and most of us are trying to do the best we can. Certainly people will judge Olive, as well they should, but overall I hope the experience is to understand how rich life is, how good life is, and how imperfect we are."

Grab Bag Friday: Tomato Basil Pasta with a Kick

It's been an insanely busy couple weeks with school starting up, and the last thing I want to do is think about cooking. Just in case you're in the same boat, here's a super-easy, super-tasty pasta recipe that I like to fall back on. I think I saw it a few years ago on a show like Oprah or Rachel Ray. :)

What you need:

• Frozen ravioli or tortellini, or even better, fresh ravioli ready to be cooked
• Olive oil
• 1 pint baby tomatoes
• Basil (preferably fresh...one big handful, chopped)
• 1 chili pepper

What you do:

1. Pour 2-ish tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and turn the heat to medium.
2. Chop up the chili pepper into tiny pieces and add it to the oil. (Use 1/2 of the pepper if you don't want it too zesty.)
3. Cut each tomato in half and toss those in the pan. Turn the heat down to low.
4. Cook the pasta according to the directions while the tomatoes simmer.
5. A minute or two before the pasta's done, toss the chopped basil into the tomato mixture.
6. Serve the tomato "sauce" on top of the pasta. Top with Parmesan if you like.
7. Enjoy!

You can add garlic or onions or anything else you like, I suppose. We usually just keep it simple.

(Photo by DecciaBodden)

I Wrote a Hit Song! Winner

August got so busy that I didn't even have a chance on this blog to announce the latest I Wrote a Hit Song! contest winner!

Romany (age 10) from Queensland, Australia wrote a beautiful, heart-wrenching, and very wise song called Time Will Fly. Her older brother recorded her singing and playing piano, and I think you'll be impressed by the results.

If you have a moment, please do stop by, listen to the song, and leave a comment for Romany. I'm sure she'd love to know what you think.

Congratulations, Romany! You wrote a hit song!

Walt Whitman: A noiseless patient spider

This weekend, the spiders were busy in our backyard. I watched one build a gigantic web around my sunflowers, and another bind an entire caterpillar in a womb of silky thread.

Spiderwebs always make me think of two things: Wilbur and poetry. Well, here's a little poetry for your soul this morning. (And speaking of poetry, if you're in Maine, there are a number of poetry events coming up to celebrate the new From the Fishouse Anthology.)

(Photo by manu gomi)

A noiseless patient spider
by Walt Whitman

A noiseless patient spider,
I mark'd where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Mark'd how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be form'd, till the ductile anchor hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.

Grab Bag Friday: Two New Blogs

Here are two new blogs from my neck of the woods that I'm looking forward to following for a while:

Simple Living
One family's move to Maine and how they built a net-zero home.
I'm going to have to go back and read this one from beginning to end, because the story of building the house is fascinating. Recently, there's an excellent post on Sweat Equity and the Road to Financial Freedom. And how can you not like a blog with a post titled Respect the Piglet? (I was surprised to find a link to my website on that one!)

Earthly Sweetness
What earthly sweetness remains unmixed with grief? What glory stands immutable on the earth?

A brand new blog from Vermont about everything from gardening to art to raising kids, and lots of poetry mixed in. I enjoyed a lovely post on Fog and Trees, Dove and O'Keeffe.

How about you? Reading any new blogs worth checking out?

Dinah Shore: It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House

Posting all those Doris Day songs last week got me nostalgic for songs of the 40's. (Can you be nostalgic for an era you never experienced?)

I have to say, I'm a total sucker for the guileless, sappy stuff like I'll Walk Alone and the entire Doris Day catalogue. But I *really* love it when something from the 40's comes along and throws you for a loop with a wry, snarky wink.

For example, the first time I heard Dinah Shore's It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House, it knocked my socks off. There's something completely satisfying about the way Dinah's pure, sweet voice plays with Jack Elliott's tounge-in-cheek lyrics.

I couldn't embed the entire song today, but here's a clip and the lyrics, or you can listen to the entire song for free using this link to Rhapsody.



It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House
Music by Harold Spina
Lyrics by Jack Elliott

It's so nice to have a man around the house
Oh so nice to have a man around the house
Someone sweet who's glad he found you
Who will put his arms around you
And his kisses just astound you
It's so nice

Oh a house is not a house without a man
He's the necessary evil in your plan
Someone kind who knows you treasure
Any simple little pleasure
Like a full length mink to cover last year's blouse
It's so nice to have a man around the house

It's so nice to have a man around the house
Oh so nice to have a man around the house
Just a guy in pipe and slippers
Who will share your breakfast kippers
And help you zip your zippers
It's so nice

Oh a house is not a house without a man
He's the necessary evil in your plan
Just a knight in shining armor
Who is something of a charmer
Even though he might be someone else's spouse
It's so nice to have a man around the house

It's so nice, just about the most important thing I can think of
So put no one else above him, when you love him, really love him
Though it's two to one you'll wind up with a louse
It's so nice
So nice

15 Books

Continuing through my queue of Facebook quizzes...I'm such a sucker for these things. :)

Let me tell you, once I started writing them down, it was hard to stop at 15! And since it turns out I've written about a lot of these books on my blog already, I've put in the links. What are your 15 books?

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. List 15 books you've read that will always stick with you. They should be the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me, because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose.

1. Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
2. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
3. Half Magic by Edward Eager
4. When the Sun Rose by Barbara Helen Berger
5. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
6. Collected Poems of Robert Hayden
7. Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
8. House on Marshland by Louise Glück
9. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
10. The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson
11. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
12. The entire Anastasia Krumpnik series by Lois Lowry
13. Omnivore's Dillema by Michael Pollan
14. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
15. Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy

Grab Bag Friday: My Life According to Doris Day

Back from vacation and ready to tackle my urgently waiting list of Facebook quizzes! :)

This one was irresistible, and since my friend Ben already took The Pixies, I had to go with another old favorite. Try it, it's fun.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)" Clever, interesting, and a little challenging...

Pick your Artist
Doris Day

Are you a male or female:
I Enjoy Being A Girl

Describe yourself:
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (only I forgot this song was so depressing...maybe I should go with Doris's version of Swinging on a Star)

How do you feel:
High Hopes

Describe where you currently live:
That Jane From Maine

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
Steppin' Out With My Baby

Your favorite form of transportation:
Glass Bottom Boat

Your best friend(s)?
Three Coins In The Fountain

You and your best friends:
Ain't We Got Fun?

What's the weather like:
Autumn Leaves (seriously, we have a few already!)

Favorite time of day:
By the Light of the Silvery Moon

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Bewitched (oh, okay, that's cheating...maybe Let The Little Girl Limbo?)

What is life to you:
Sentimental Journey

Your relationship:
It's Magic, Fly Me To The Moon, Cheek to Cheek, Pillow Talk...hopefully not You're Getting To Be A Habit with Me!

Your fear:
I'll Never Smile Again

What is the best advice you have to give:
Take An Old-Fashioned Walk

Thought for the Day:
It Could Happen to You

How I would like to die:
Doin' What Comes Natur'lly and/or With A Song In My Heart

My soul's present condition:
My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time

My motto:
Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)

August Blog Vacation

This August, I am taking a blog break to work on some writing projects, enjoy my brother's wedding (hooray!), see old friends, soak up some sun (if it ever comes out), pick blackberries, and read book after book!

Until September then...or as Bilbo put it...

Farewell, friends! The sails are set,
the wind is east, the moorings fret.

Grab Bag Friday: Shooting Stars & Merce Cunningham

First off, the class song from Songwriting for Kids, Vol 2, "Shooting Stars" is now up and available to download. The kids did a great job making the melody of their bridge go someplace completely different!

And speaking of shooting stars...the legendary choreographer, Merce Cunningham, died this week at the age of ninety. I first learned about Merce Cunningham in college, when I was studying the experimental music of John Cage. I loved the way he brought elements of nature and moments of stillness into his movement, like in this clip from "Beach Birds for Camera" (I love toward the end of this clip where the feet are fluttering...):



Merce Cunningham was (and will continue to be) such a huge influence in the modern dance world. Even in this (my favorite from this week), there are moments of stillness, angles, and lines that seem to have his imprint:

Volcano

I had such a great time in my summer workshops this year. My fiction and poetry students (grades 3-5) were so hard-working and so dedicated that their parents had a hard time dragging them out the door at the end of the day. They always wanted *just one more minute* to work on their poems and stories!

I don't know if it's all the rain we've been having here in Maine, but *both* my Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 songwriting classes (grades K-3) collaborated on lovely, slow songs. Usually, the classes want to do something peppy and goofy (see last year's song with the "polkadot, polkadot, polkadot underwear"). But my kids this year were profound.

Just listen to Volcano, the song collaboration from SFK Vol. 1. It's a plaintive, melancholy dream, complete with hot lava and suffering. And I have to say, I think they wrote one of the prettiest melodies in the history of Songwriting for Kids.

I haven't posted the lovely Vol. 2 class song, "Shooting Stars" yet, but I should have it up by the end of the week.

Congratulations to all my summer students. You guys worked hard, created some fabulous work, and I am SO proud of you! Seal pup arfs all around!

A Little Help, Please: What to Read, What to Read?

For the past two weeks, I've been immersed in songwriting, fiction, and poetry workshops with kids aged 5-10. So. Incredibly. Fun.

We have a rule in my classes: Good Collaborators Help Each Other. When you're stuck on your poem or song, you raise your hand and say, "A little help, please!" Then the rest of the class will chime in (often very loudly and excitedly) and try to help you find that rhyme for "Jupiter" or figure out what the secret portal to Mermaid World could be (a bathtub drain, it turns out...in case you were wondering). You then have the option to use their ideas, or not. Often, just talking about it will spark a brand new idea you never would have come up with on your own.

It's a fun exercise, and it certainly reflects the way I work. When I'm stuck on a plot line in a story or a verse of a song, I'm not the kind to sit and wait it out. I take a walk with Kevin, call up my sister, email a writer friend, and talk it out.

So it's my turn, now: A Little Help, Please!

I'm taking a blog vacation in August to finish up a book I'm working on, go to my brother's wedding, and do some summery things like kayaking, gardening, and blackberry picking (if the sun will ever come out!) And of course, some pleasure reading!

What have you read this summer that I shouldn't miss? I'm taking all suggestions: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, young adult, middle grade, picture books. What's out there that I should pick up to make this summer complete?

(Flickr photo by gaspi *your guide)

Oscar Brown Jr: But I Was Cool

For the past two weeks, I've been having a blast teaching songwriting, fiction, and poetry workshops to kids aged 5-11. Today, I'll be using Oscar Brown Jr.'s song Dat Dere to talk to kids about perspective and point-of-view. It should be a fun way to let them see how the writer's voice can change even mid-poem.

Oscar Brown Jr. was such a creative force of nature. He had that expressive voice and goofy sense of humor, mixed with a deadly serious belief that music and words should be used to enact social change. You can listen to a great interview with him on American Routes from 2002 (I love his musings on "soul" and "cool"...doesn't he remind you of the Rock Man?)

Since I can't find a full, free version of Dat Dere, here's a clip:



And here's another great Oscar Brown Jr. tune that makes me smile every time I hear it:



I always live by the golden rule
Whatever happens, don't blow your cool!
You gotta have nerves of steel
And never show folks how you honestly feel

I lived all my life this way, ha
For example, take yesterday:

I breeze home happy bringin' her my pay
Her note read ...so long savvy, I have run away!
An' I threw myself down across our empty bed
An' this is what I said:

Ooo shhhhiiiii ooow ooow ooow
But I was cool!

So I "one for the roaded" at a all night bar
I wound up so loaded, I tore up my car
The judge threw the book at me,
An' when I read, the sentence there, I said:

Oow! Please oooow ooow
But I was cool!

So I said she's the only one, that I have to pay
And I found her an' pulled my gun, an' fired point blank
The shot whistled right past that woman's head
An' I killed my hound dog, dead!

Oooooow, ruff ruff, rrr, rrr, rrr, rur, rur, rur
As they carried me away
I was overheard to say,
"Be cool, be cool, stay cool, be cool!"

Dorothy Parker: One Perfect Rose

Today begins the first day of my Poetry Writing for Kids workshop. I can't wait! The last time I taught poetry was as an MFA student. I taught an introductory poetry workshop to a group of undergraduates who were barely a year younger than me. On the first day, I was so nervous that I walked head-on into a television that was hung on the classroom wall, and I nearly fainted from the pain (or the nervousness). Somehow, I managed to regain my composure and soldier on, and the class turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences I had in grad school.

I'm anticipating a fun week full of surprises and fresh creativity (and I checked...there are no televisions in my classroom!) Here's a fabulous Dorothy Parker poem we'll be using today to learn about quatrains:

One Perfect Rose by Dorothy Parker

A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet--
One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret;
"My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart enclose."
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.


Photo by capsicina.

Grab Bag Friday Movie Vault: The Aristocats

One of my music students is in a local theater production of The Aristocats this weekend, and I can't wait to see it! Growing up, this was one of my favorite Disney movies.

Let me elucidate...this is a story about a fancy-schmancy family of cats who get saved from kidnappers by a low-life alley cat and his jazzy cohorts. They all sing together and become friends. What's not to like?

Especially with great music like this (I can *still* sing every line by heart). Break a leg, Rowan!

Cab Calloway: Minnie the Moocher

Today is my older sister Ali's 40th birthday! It's so funny growing up with five siblings because we're all so spread out in age that we end up having different memories of things, and something that the oldest remembers, the youngest wasn't around for and vice versa.

But we *all* have fond memories of Ali leading us in rousing renditions of Minnie the Moocher. Ali was always full of theatrics, purposely tripping herself to make me laugh, getting us all to dance and sing while doing chores around the house. I remember getting to read lines with her while she was practicing for her school plays (I felt *so* cool!), and watching her put makeup on before a performance (singing "I feel pretty, oh so pretty..." or "I feel sh**ty, oh so sh**ty" depending on how shocking she felt like being!)

Ali's version of Minnie the Moocher, with her gravelly Cab Calloway impression used to make us all laugh until we were out of breath and could hardly keep up with our "Hi di hi di hi di hi" parts. It still does. :)

Happy Birthday, Ali!

Doreen Cronin: Dooby Dooby Moo

Songwriting for Kids summer workshops start today! Since I'm rushing around trying to get everything ready, I thought I'd just give you a quick glimpse of one of the goofier books we'll be using during Seal Pup Time (reading and listening time):

Dooby, Dooby, Moo by Doreen Cronin. Enough said.

If you have not yet enjoyed the hilarious tales of barnyard hijinks by Ms. Cronin (Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type; Duck for President; etc.) please do yourself a favor and high-tail it down to your local library or bookstore. Post haste!

Grab Bag Friday: Get a Job (for 30 days)

This week, Kevin and I watched two great episodes of 30 Days that had to do with being on the job.

Working in a Coal Mine is an up-close look at the day-to-day life of a coal miner. I don't think it's possible to watch this episode and not think a little harder about energy consumption.

Outsourcing follows an American data programmer whose job has been outsourced to India. He hops on a plane and for 30 days, works at a call center in India. Absolutely fascinating.

I know I've said it before, but this show is brilliant. Could someone please tell me why there isn't going to be a season four?

Feist on Sesame Street

Last week, in my Feist/Wilco duet post, I linked to Feist's 2007 video of 1-2-3-4. In doing so, I came across this little gem. I love the adaptation of the lyrics "1-2-3-4, I really like to count to four." And the chickens coming from the shore? Hee!

Maybe it's because I'm gearing up for Songwriting for Kids workshops next week, but this really tickled my fancy:

Summer Reading: Chapter Books

Ah, summertime! When we were kids, while my brother and sisters were off water skiing, swimming, riding bikes in the driveway, I could always be found in the hammock or under a tree or (gasp!) inside the house with a book. Summer to them meant go-karts and sunburns and outdoor voices. Summer to me meant uninterrupted, uninhibited hour after hour of reading. We all agreed: summer was heaven!

So I'm putting together a small box of summer reading for two of my nieces. I hope they run around and get some sunshine and fresh air in their bones this summer, but I also hope they find some time to get swept up in a good story, just for fun. Here are some of the chapter books I'm sending over.

If they were *your* nieces, what would you include?

Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel: because my niece love-love-LOVES cats. And because it's hilarious. I love the note left in the bathroom: "Dear Family, I am going to give Kitty a bath. Do not cry for me. I have lived a long, happy life. Instead, remember me for my bravery and courage..."

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell: Magical rodents, a nanny mystery, and a potion that makes you fart when you lie? What's not to like?

Savvy by Ingrid Law: There's a reason this book got a Newbery Honor. It's stunning. My husband walked into the room when I was only about ten pages in and I shushed him. Seriously. It's that good.

Rules by Cynthia Lord: A funny, poignant, honest story from the point of view of a girl with an autistic younger brother. A must read. (My 2007 review)

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban: Still one of my favorite middle grade novels of the past few years. 10-year old Zoe would give anything to play piano in an elegant, glamorous recital hall. Instead, she gets lessons on a "wood-grained, vinyl-seated, wheeze-bag organ." Hilarious and sweet.

Grab Bag Friday: Northern Writes New Play Festival

My friends Jeremy Sony and Jaclyn Villano both wrote short plays ("Hard Stop" and "The First Time") that were accepted into the Northern Writes New Play Festival, a celebration of new theater work in development.

If you're in the Bangor, Maine area, you go see them TONIGHT! Tickets are only $5.

Wilco & Feist: You & I

Wilco came out with Wilco (the album) yesterday. I haven't had a chance to listen to it all yet, but...

You can listen to the entire thing on NPR's Exclusive First Listen.

There's an interesting interview with Jeff Tweedy on Chicago Public Radio about making the album.

And here's an intermittently bouncy video of Wilco and special guest, Feist singing You and I, fresh off the new album:

Quick! Go Win Amy Schimler's New Book!

Amy Schimler, intrepid illustrator and designer of all things whimsical and fun, is giving away a free copy of her new book. But she's announcing the winner TOMORROW (Tuesday), so you've got to head over there fast to get in on the action.

You may remember Amy from an interview I did during the last Robert's Snow Auction. Well, since then, she's been a busy bee, designing all kinds of great fabrics and I'm excited to announce that her newest book, What Do You See? (A Lift-the-Flap Book About Endangered Animals) written by Stephen Krensky, just came out this month.

What Do You See? is part of a new series of books by Little Green Books that intends to "get little ones excited about going green." The aim of this particular book is to get kids interested in and aware of endangered animals. Amy Schimler's illustrations along with Stephen Krensky's text give you just enough hints to guess which animal might be hiding in the scene before you lift the flap for the satisfying reveal of a smiling rhino or intricate Monarch butterfly.

I bought the book a couple weeks ago, and put it in a stack in my living room where parents often read to younger siblings while waiting for my students to finish their lessons. I've enjoyed opening the music room door to hear cries of "It's a panda!"

All the books in the Little Green series are made from 100% recycled material and you can visit SimonLittleGreen.com for eco-friendly tips, games, and activities. You can enter the contest to win What Do You See? over at Amy Schimler's blog.

Grab Bag Saturday: Smooth Criminal

I've heard/read a lot of chatter over the last couple days about how Michael Jackson's dancing (back in the day, before all the dazzle burned him out) was influenced by Fred Astaire, admired by Fred Astaire, as good as Fred Astaire. Apparently, after Jackson performed the moonwalk for the first time, Fred Astaire called him up to tell him how fabulous it was.

Well, here's a cool Astaire mashup of Smooth Criminal that someone put together about a year ago.

Yundi Li: Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2

I've been listening to Chopin's Nocturnes in the morning recently (yes, I know, nocturnes in the morning...). Which means that I have the theme from Op. 9 No. 2 in my head a lot these days.

The melody of this piece is so pretty and melancholy, it soothes and breaks the heart at the same time. I came across this video of Yundi Li performing the piece, and was struck by how gently and effortlessly his fingers appear to be playing it, and yet how wrapped up and fully into the music he is. Watch him at the end...he's completely shaken by the music. It's a beautiful thing.

I also came across this quote at Chopin Music--George Sand about Chopin's writing process (Chopin and Sand had a 10-year relationship that came to a rather unpleasant end):

"His creative work was spontaneous, miraculous. It came to him without effort or warning... But then began the most heartrending labour I have ever witnessed. It was a series of attempts, of fits of irresolution and impatience to recover certain details. He would shut himself in his room for days, pacing up and down, breaking his pens, repeating and modifying one bar a hundred times."

It's amazing to me how a composer will put immense effort and work like this into one bar of music, and it can come out sounding as effortless and simple as if he just plucked it out of the sky. Which is, of course, the goal.

According to Chopin Music, Chopin once wrote:

"Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art."

William Butler Yeats: The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Another dreary day here in Maine (summer will come soon, I swear it will), and I'm at my kitchen table with a cup of tea and some Yeats. I'm in the mood for something classic today.

"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" was written in 1893, a meditation on the lake isle where Yeats used to vacation as a boy. When you think of your childhood, do you have a place of rest like this? Someplace you can go to in your mind when the rush and tumble of adulthood is too much?

For me, there was a little path through the woods I used to walk almost every day in the summer. The beginning of the path was small and close, lined with dark pine trees (I could have sworn faeries lived in there), but after a while, it opened up to light and birches. You'd pass a small open field, with a tree stump perfect for sitting, and if you turned to the right, you would come to the tiniest little opening at the lake--which I liked to call the "Wild Beach." When I was in college, the path was bulldozed and widened to allow forestry trucks to get through, and while it's still a lovely walk, the magic evaporated. But I still go there in my mind whenever I need a little peace that can't quite be found any other way.

"Innisfree" is one of the most lovely, lyrical, nostalgic pieces, and I love how the rhythm of the words flow like the lapping of the water--mesmerizing, infused with a deep, calm longing. It's almost a lullaby.

Below the poem, I've posted a neat homemade video of someone reading the poem while filming a spot on the actual Isle of Innisfree. Very cool.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree
by William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear the water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Grab Bag Friday: Falling Slowly

It's June, and that means I'm officially wrapped up in one of my favorite guilty pleasures: Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance! One of the things I love the most about this show is how often I am surprised by a style, dancer, or choreographer that I thought I'd already made my mind up about.

For instance, this couple was easily at the bottom of my list until this week when they hooked up with choreographer Stacy Tookey. Her choreography paired with the gorgeous song "Falling Slowly" brought out something in these dancers I hadn't seen before. As if the movement and music unlocked a little door and let the light shine through.

I think this is just lovely in every way:

Taylor Swift: Love Story

Apologies for missing my Monday post...our router fried out at home, so we haven't had internet for a few days. Crazy how much can come to a standstill because of one little piece of plastic!

Recently, Taylor Swift's Love Story megahit has come up in more conversations than I can count. Since it came out, it's always been in the air, of course, but in the last month, my music students have requested it, I've seen girls at two separate elementary school variety shows sing it with awkward, heart-rending, 10 year old passion, and last night before bed, my 8 year old niece sang it to me over the phone, word for word, without missing a beat.

So what is it about Love Story that makes every young girl swoon? A catchy melody, yes. A pretty girl, of course. But really, I think it's the power of proper story construction. The song is written like a little movie. There's a cute meet, they fall in love, there are obstacles, she feels misunderstood, and just at the last moment when she thinks all is lost, he comes back, the obstacles are cleared, and all is well. And it's all set in a flashback, so that the line "We were both young when I first saw you," repeated at the beginning and end leads us to believe they are still together and really did live happily ever after.

I actually really like the video. It's sweet and romantic without one single kiss. When they sneak off for their illicit rendezvous in the woods, they mainly talk and walk, hold hands, and hang out with a horse. And what girl wouldn't want that horse?



Love Story
by Taylor Swift

We were both young when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts:
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air.

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.
See you make your way through the crowd
and say hello;

Little did I know
That you were Romeo; you were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet."
And I was crying on the staircase,
begging you, 'Please, don't go.'"

And I said,
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"

So I sneak out to the garden to see you.
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew.
So close your eyes; escape this town for a little while.
'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter,
And my daddy said "Stay away from Juliet,"
But you were everything to me; I was begging you, 'Please, don't go,'"

And I said,
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'

Romeo save me - they're tryin' to tell me how to feel;
This love is difficult, but it's real.
Don't be afraid; we'll make it out of this mess.
It's a love story - baby just say "Yes.'"

I got tired of waiting,
Wondering if you were ever comin' around.
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town,

And I said,
"Romeo save me - I've been feeling so alone.
I keep waiting for you but you never come.
Is this in thy head? I don't know what to think-"

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said,
"Marry me, Juliet - you'll never have to be alone.
I love you and that's all I really know.
I talked to your dad - go pick out a white dress;
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you...

Grab Bag Friday: Surprise Wedding Reception

Today is my bro's 30th birthday! And since he's getting married in just a couple months, I thought I'd post a little wedding fun.

The folks at Improv Everywhere are at it again. I loved this one...

The P.S. 22 Chorus: Landslide

My student assistant's jaw dropped to the ground this week when she found out that I had never seen the videos of the PS22 Chorus. "But this is what you do!" she exclaimed.

Somehow, incredibly, I have missed these sweet performances by the Staten Island P.S. 22 Chorus. The chorus was started by a 2nd grade teacher, Mr. Breinberg (Mr. B, of course) who wanted to teach the kids popular songs, songs they would relate to. He put a few videos up on YouTube, started a blog, and the way these viral Cinderella stories go, the kids were soon singing with the likes of Tori Amos and making Stevie Nicks cry.

Well, who wouldn't cry? In a New York Times article, Mr. B says,

"There’s a great feeling in seeing these kids — some of whom have been abused, neglected, who have nothing to look forward to when they get home — and knowing that when they come in to my class to sing, you can just see the depth of their emotional experience come through."

And does it ever come through. I love this about music. When these kids sing the lines But time makes you bolder/ children get older/ I'm getting older too, you can see that it hits some of them deeply and they sing it straight from the core. Music gives us a place to take our experiences, give them a voice, and send them flying. It also brings us together, and helps us realize that while we all come from vastly different places in our lives, we can sing the same song. Deeply. Boldly. And if we let it, sharing that song can change who we are.


(Landslide video)

David Small: Imogene's Antlers

"On Thursday, when Imogene woke up, she found she had grown antlers."

When I need a book that is going to immediately catch kids' attention, hook them from the very first line, and set their imaginations reeling, I often reach for Imogene's Antlers. There are very few sure bets in the world. Imogene is one of them.

Imogene wakes up one morning to find that she has grown antlers. While this creates some hilarious inconveniences and much fainting on the part of her mother, Imogene and her family come up with some ingenious uses for her new antlers. The surprise ending is one of my all-time favorites, and a crowd-pleaser to boot.

Author/illustrator David Small's illustrations have appeared in countless issues of The New Yorker and The New York Times, and he has illustrated over 40 picture books. On his website, you can view his sketchbook, which is a real treat. Here are a couple of my favorite pages:

Grab Bag Friday: Color Me Katie

On Color Me Katie's blog, Katie recently announced that Radar has put together a documentary about her work. I love Color Me Katie's "street art" photographs because they are so whimsical and spontaneous and pure fun. The Radar documentary captures all the hard work and planning (and fun!) that goes into creating that spontaneity. It's definitely worth a gander:

View the 4 minute documentary here.

Color Me Katie's website is here.

Pomegranates: Southern Ocean

Quick post this morning, since I was up late processing summer workshop registrations. It's so much fun to see some of my previous students returning, and this year there are a lot of new names. I can't wait to meet everyone! There is still some space in Songwriting (K-3), Fiction (3-5), and Poetry (3-5) in case you know anyone who'd like to join in the fun.

I came across "Southern Ocean" by the Pomegranates on NPR's Song of the Day, and it hit the spot: poppy, energetic, fun, with a little raw edge to it. I'll definitely be poking around for more from this band.

Here's how NPR describes the song. Though I'm a little too sleepy for prose at the moment...I admit I had to read it a couple times through. :)

The tune opens with a catchy, surf-tinged motif, then shifts into a tense second movement, propelling the immaculately crafted plot with anticipation and a rich melody. The band never sacrifices the blithe rock sensibility needed to keep the track afloat: "Southern Ocean" exudes such effortless precision, and such fun, that accomplishing all of that in two and a half minutes isn't even a stretch.

Um, just go listen to the song. Maybe dance and bop around a little. That should do.

Jon Scieszka: Knucklehead

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jon Scieszka is a creative genius.

Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka is a hilarious memoir (geared toward the 9-12 set) filled with short vignettes about what it's like to grow up in a family of six kids. Six boys, no less. And just in case that family structure alone isn't comedy itself, try this: six boys in Catholic school.

Of course, growing up in a family of six kids myself (we were five girls, one boy...comedy of another sort), the stories made me grin, guffaw, and repeatedly force my husband to read and re-read chapters. It's that kind of book. The kind you have to share because it's just cruel to keep that much funny to yourself.

After the first couple chapters, I decided to ration myself and only read one chapter a night. I didn't want it to end, and what better way to go to sleep than after a good chuckle?

More than anything, Knucklehead is a testament to the strength of sibling relationships. Jon Scieszka's book illuminates the mystery of how you can sell your brother his own shirt, get him to eat a burnt out cigarette butt, pee on him, and even break his collar bone, and still come out laughing on the other side.

Here's an NPR story about Kucklehead (with some excerpts from the book at the bottom of the page).

Here's a great Reading Rockets interview with Jon Scieszka about growing up with five brothers, teaching elementary school, his unconventional style, and how to get boys interested in reading:

Grab Bag Friday Movie Vault: The Point

Another rainy day here in Maine...perfect for the Grab Bag Friday Movie Vault.

I can count on my left hand the number of people I've met who are as in love with The Point as I am. My brother is one, and he may not count since he's related. Yes, it's dated. Yes, it's 1971-trippy. But Harry Nilsson's sweet, intelligent story and dreamy music work together so well, they transport you to another world. The Point makes my Top 10 movie list any day of the week.

Now let me hip you to reality. This movie is a must-see. Round-headed Oblio is born in a kingdom where every thing has a point. For a while, his parents try to hide his roundness by giving him a pointy hat to wear, but eventually, poor Oblio is outed in a game of Triangle Toss. He and his dog Arrow are banished to the Pointless Forest, where they meet all kinds of strange and wonderful characters who help Oblio rethink what it means to have a "point."

To this day, I can sing almost all of the songs by heart, and "Are You Sleeping" very nearly made it onto my lullaby album. (I guess it'll have to wait for volume two.) Here is one of my favorites, "Think About Your Troubles." This scene is right after Oblio and Arrow get banished to the Pointless Forest:



And The Rock Man was always one of my favorite characters. I love his opening line. "You been goofing with the bees?" I think my bro and I both went through stages of wanting to be just like The Rock Man when we grew up. I like to think a little of it has stuck. :)

Songwriting for Kids and They Might Be Giants

Well okay, these are two separate news items. But wouldn't it be cool if Songwriting for Kids and They Might Be Giants hooked up? Ah, the stuff dreams are made of...

News item #1 (SFK): The June 1 registration deadline for Songwriting, Fiction, and Poetry Writing for Kids summer workshops is just around the corner! If you're in Maine and you know someone who'd enjoy these classes (they're a blast!), please spread the word.

News item #2 (TMBG): Did you know that They Might Be Giants is going to sponsor 10 Little League Teams? To get *your* team in the running for those cool yellow shirts, go to the TMBG Little League page and scroll to the bottom for application instructions. (Thanks to Zooglobble for the link!)

Hmmm...if my team was named after a cool band, maybe I would have taken a bit more interest in grade school softball. As it was, I just sat (yes, sat!) in right field and thought about how unfair it was that the coach (my dad) wouldn't let me bring my book out there. It's not like we *ever* got a field hit, so I really didn't see what the big deal was. Hmph!

How about you? Any fond (or otherwise) childhood memories of our nation's favorite summer pastime?