I started out thinking that I should do this every day. Then, when I didn't, I figured oh well, total failure. A poor excuse if I ever had one.
So, every now and then will be fine. Just like most everything else.
There's been a lot of music over the last 2 years. Mostly in Susan's kitchen, or attic, with a few weddings and wine tastings interspersed with my brother Tom's upper valley concert series annual meetings. The coming week, Tom and I will be at the Northeast Heritage Music Camp in Stockton VT for 6 days of intensive music learning and playing. It's the first time for both of us. He'll be concentrating on banjo techniques and I on guitar accompaniment. I've never really had any lessons before. After playing for about 53 years, this will definitely be a new experience and one I'm looking forward to having. Once again, Susan is the instigator of this experience.
Speaking of music, and musicians, it's been occurring to me that it's amazing how little importance is given to such an important part of our lives. Music is one of the few constants in every society. Other than the obvious necessities such as food and water, music exists everywhere and in wildly varied forms. It is, in fact, so omnipresent that a good argument can easily be made that it is as important to the mental health of life as food and water are to physical health.
Why, then, do we as a society in general seem to give so little to the local music scene? I'm not talking about huge festivals with 80,000 people in attendance. I'm talking about the local places where great musicians play in front of a few people for tips. This was really brought to mind last night when I went to a taco joint in Montpelier to hear Michael Arnowitt play some improvised jazz. Michael is a world class pianist who has performed all over the globe in Carnegie Hall sized venues and yet here he was in his own home town playing in front of 9 people. I watched a few walk out without even glancing at the tip jar.
It brought to mind the Joshua Bell experimental concert in the subway station wherein people who had paid hundreds of $ a ticket to see him in concert the night before walked by without a second look as he played for free.
It's a puzzle. I don't have answers to this, only the questions.
