No, I'm not going to any exotic locales, ski resorts, or family lakehouses. Instead, this break I get to spend time on a few things that fall to the wayside during school. . .
First, I'm going to heat things up a bit. That's right, I'm finally reading Dante's Inferno.
Second, this break won't mean a thing if it 'aint got that swing. I'm going to work on my jazz improvisation and listen to some good 'ol standards (and maybe some Roy Hargrove too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxeb0cwjE8U )
And of course I'll be spending quality time with friends and family.
Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy Winter Solstice, and Merry Festivus to all.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sights Unseen
Every year my high school takes the opportunity to help one organization with a school-wide fundraiser spanning the length of three weeks. We call it School Chest, and have raised thousands upon thousands every year for worthy organizations. This year the beneficiary is Invisible Children, an organization dedicated to ending the violence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. The LRA is run by the warlord Joseph Kony, and abducts children from remote villages and towns. The soldiers force the children to murder their families, then brainwash, abuse, and murder the children themselves, all the while training an army of 5-11 year old killers. Ugandan children (and those living in neighboring countries harassed by the LRA) live in a state of constant fear. They flock from their homes to sleep on the floors of city buildings in great heaps, all of them deathly afraid of abduction. They have no supervision, no food, no beds, nothing.
The crisis is ongoing, and the developed world remains in the dark. Invisible Children is a social action group that uses young people's voices to bring the invisible children of Uganda to the forefront of American sight. They lobby, fund raise, and document relentlessly.
One of the major goals of Invisible Children is the prevention of abductions and murders in villages. Their early warning radio network serves to alert villages (who normally have little outside communication) of LRA risks in their area and enables them to call for help. If my high school raises enough money, we could fund a radio tower and save the lives of children and those living in remote communities.
I am intensely impressed with the dedication of the Invisible Children volunteers and with the dedication of my peers to this cause. I believe they deserve every penny that we earn this school chest, and I am proud to be a part of ending the conflict in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Help make these children visible. Please support school chest and the Invisible Children movement. See the links below for more information on the cause, and for ways to help!
http://invisiblechildren.com/homepage http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise/ic?fcid=171955
The crisis is ongoing, and the developed world remains in the dark. Invisible Children is a social action group that uses young people's voices to bring the invisible children of Uganda to the forefront of American sight. They lobby, fund raise, and document relentlessly.
One of the major goals of Invisible Children is the prevention of abductions and murders in villages. Their early warning radio network serves to alert villages (who normally have little outside communication) of LRA risks in their area and enables them to call for help. If my high school raises enough money, we could fund a radio tower and save the lives of children and those living in remote communities.
I am intensely impressed with the dedication of the Invisible Children volunteers and with the dedication of my peers to this cause. I believe they deserve every penny that we earn this school chest, and I am proud to be a part of ending the conflict in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Help make these children visible. Please support school chest and the Invisible Children movement. See the links below for more information on the cause, and for ways to help!
http://invisiblechildren.com/homepage http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise/ic?fcid=171955
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Pits
There's a certain camaraderie that comes from sitting in the dark, in what is effectively a pen, for roughly 16 hours in one week. It's cramped with metal stands and chairs, with papers and empty water bottles littering the ground, and instruments aiming in every direction. Its too hot or too cold, there's a shattered black light releasing it's fumes into the trumpet section, and a box of cookies has spilled somewhere by the mellophones. It's the pit, and at least twice a year, it's the dining room table, the homework desk, and the band/orchestra room to the many musicians involved in student musical productions.
This past week was STUNTS, the student-orchestrated talent show, which includes sketch comedy, musical theater numbers, original acts like magic and bands, and of course, the pit. We play familiar popular tunes like Day Tripper and the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean and when we're not playing we're watching the show. Again and again and again. Sometimes we're doing our french or calculus homework, or grabbing a quick bite of Chipotle, but most of the time, we're sitting, watching, and waiting for our chance to play. Sometimes, however, the pit comes to the rescue. When an act has a glitch, when technical difficulties arise, the pit is there to play Mah Nah Mah Nah and Baila Me with enough fervor to distract the impatient audience.
Though we may not always receive the appreciation we deserve, the pit is the place to be for any production. It's the best seat in the house, with music, magazines, and cookies, and of course, a whole lot of fun.
This past week was STUNTS, the student-orchestrated talent show, which includes sketch comedy, musical theater numbers, original acts like magic and bands, and of course, the pit. We play familiar popular tunes like Day Tripper and the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean and when we're not playing we're watching the show. Again and again and again. Sometimes we're doing our french or calculus homework, or grabbing a quick bite of Chipotle, but most of the time, we're sitting, watching, and waiting for our chance to play. Sometimes, however, the pit comes to the rescue. When an act has a glitch, when technical difficulties arise, the pit is there to play Mah Nah Mah Nah and Baila Me with enough fervor to distract the impatient audience.
Though we may not always receive the appreciation we deserve, the pit is the place to be for any production. It's the best seat in the house, with music, magazines, and cookies, and of course, a whole lot of fun.
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