Power of Music Srikes Again. . .

Alright, this blog is authored by five musicians and one dancer. I, as the outspoken dancer, am willing to begin the discussion, but I leave it up to the experts to duke it out.

Three words. . .

"Yes We Can"


Check it out if you haven't seen it yet. Regardless of political affiliation, it is well worth experiencing the invisible yet tangible power of music.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/yeswecanvideo

Migrating to new software

This spring Dave and I decided to migrate from ETUDES (a Learning Management System) that a friend of mine had written to Moodle which is an open source LMS. Well the temptation to revise and update the content at the same time have overtaken us. Well we are close. Every time we tackle such a huge migration we say "for the last time". Well, after doing this kind of thing so many times I think I have finally learned there is no last time.

Now that we are almost done I am liking the product. Like birth, I guess the pain is forgotten and well worth it.

If any of you don't know what open source software is, do a web search.

Power for the people.

Don

White Socks

I remember when living in England that I was teased for my white socks. I think more than the wardrobe is the sense of entitlement that most Americans have while traveling. There have been many times while traveling in Europe that I have been absolutely embarrassed to be American. I remember one woman in a train in Italy almost twenty years ago complaining to my mother that no one knows how to speak English. If they want our tourism they should learn to speak English is what she said. I do not know every language. I have to admit that I was lost in France. Yet, I learned the few phrases such as "hello" and "thank you." I also spoke Spanish to people abroad before I broke into English. I was surprised the other day in going to IHop that their menu had everything on it also in Spanish. We have immigrants not just traveling, but moving here, and they are not expected to learn English?

International image

That last post was from Beth. She just got back from Spain. Dave is now in Italy. The dollar is so weak that essentials cost more than you want to know. I have not traveled to Europe for nearly thirty years. The response to us has obviously changed. There are guidelines for travelers to not "look American". It looks like this view of Americans has really shifted in the last ten years.

At least they are still addicted to our music. But they are producing their own music more and more. It is more fun to make and produce music than to "import" it.

Don

What does it take to be American?

Traveling abroad is the best way to confirm your sense of self and heritage. Home becomes a powerful concept when you are 9 hours ahead and eating nothing but Iberian Ham morning, noon and night (Yes, its novelty wore off after the second breakfast).

The unnerving part for me was everyone’s ability to peg me as “American” on first glance. Granted I am 5’11, fair skinned with light brown hair and blue eyes, but still. Couldn’t I be German? Austrian? Scandinavian? English? Australian? Heck, even if they heard me speak couldn’t I be mistaken for Canadian?

No. Apparently not.

Bugger.

So what is it about me that makes me so identifiably American. I wasn’t wearing white tennis shoes, my wool coat was conservatively fashionable, I am relatively fit and thin, and I wasn’t draped in red, white and blue. What was it? My un-dyed hair? My lack of multiple facial piercings (I do have my nose pierced)? My posture? My facial expressions? My non-descript suitcase? What? What?!?

I guess I am just not Euro-Chic enough.

And, the reaction was always the same, a mixture of apathy regarding our presence and a sort of “I figured as much” kind of look. We had to acknowledge the fact that being two twenty something, American girls was going to get us nowhere. Being American was going to get us less than nowhere. Face it. The American dream and the American dollar just aren’t what they used to be in Europe.

Sing with me: Oh Ca-na-da!

From one Millennial to another: Go. Do. Be.

As one of the Millennials. . .

I was born on the cusp, just inside the millennial generation (you can do the math). And, I am teaching in essence my own generation at the college level. This both gives me insight into the student perspective and poses an interesting challenge for me, because I am at times trapped by the same conditioning.

First of all, who are the Millennials? We are a generally highly motivated, optimistic group of people who find learning and success relatively easily. However, because we are born of the digital era we have one folly, a disassociated sense of physical self.

(A beautiful example of this is the fact that even as a dance teacher I am sitting here blogging, perpetuating an identity that is unrelated to my physical presence— oh the irony).

Although I teach dance (at least that is what my course numbers say), my primary goal is not dance related at all. It is a process of self-discovery and self-empowerment, a reconnecting to one’s identity through action.

In my classes I aspire to teach others to how redefine themselves through movement. And, trust me there is nothing harder to change than physical habits; neuromuscular connections that have been subconsciously driven home day after day are hard to let go.

Dance allows movers to reinvent themselves through posturing and physical action. You can actually change who you are by how you move. But, be warned, it is a little more challenging than changing the default image on your homepage. Check your posture and what it says about you. Is that who you think you are? Is that who you want to be?

We have the choice to change our mental and emotional landscape through our physical make up. The millennial generation suffers from a shifting identity, a sense of self that is extracted from one’s physical make up and has been siphoned into cyber-identities. You become your projected avatar, but what of the physical body behind the screen?

Dance is an opportunity for one to reconnect with the physicality of identity and actually BE one’s desired identity. It takes Olivia Newton-John’s “Let’s Get Physical” to a whole new level.

So if you are a millennial like me. . . my advice for you is:

Go.
Do.
Be.

Dance.

Beth

Political Music redux

I can see it now. I have pols to match everyone in Spinal Tap:

Nigel -- Bush (mine goes to 11)
Drummers that spontaneously combust -- Gonzales
Interfering girlfriend -- Hillary
Bass players with cucumbers in their pants -- Cheny
Incompetent manager -- Pelosi

Just another dysfunctional band.

Dave