Connecting to the Community through Art

Quote of the Day:  If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once a week; for perhaps the parts of my brain now atrophied would have thus been kept active through use. The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeebling the emotional part of our nature. 
- Charles Darwin

This quote is used as an introduction to my favorite book, The Music Lover's Poetry Anthology. I marked my favorites with mini-post-its, and it is a colorful display of papers! I love so many of these poems. Poetry, music, art, attending plays and live performances, creating art collaboratively all help us connect to one another. It builds community and keeps us from feeling isolated.

My younger sister, Joy, is staying with me for a couple months, and she immediately started making connections. She's offering a six-week voice lesson session, and several people have already scheduled lessons with her. She makes the cutest fairy houses out of pottery and wanted to continue with that creative outlet, so she contacted Kevin Matthews at Glaze to Amaze.

Kevin Matthews and Joy

 

Kevin welcomed Joy right in. She showed him one of her houses, and he gave her a couple tips on making the lids (roofs) fit a little better. They're exchanging work space and materials for help in the store.  Joy jumped right in and helped with Ladies' Night last night, Thursdays from 3:00 - 8:00.

 

 

When I came back to the store, after teaching a couple piano lessons and getting my boys ready for a band concert, I saw Joy sitting next to one of my former piano students, Holly!

 

 

 

The Brainerd Lakes Area Women of Today chose Glaze to Amaze as their outing for the week. Look how much fun they're having, creating, and connecting!

 

 

Thanks, Kevin, for being so accommodating and welcoming my sister into the community of artists.

Glaze to Amaze is located in downtown Brainerd on Laurel Street. Kevin will be offering great specials during both Black Friday, next week, and Small Business Saturday. Shop local, support artists in your area, and help build up your community.

After the pottery fun, we were off to the 9th grade band concert. Did you ever mention how much I love band concerts? Yep. Love'em. They never last long enough for me. The band teachers in this area deserve a standing ovation!!!

Students entering for the concert. Not the greatest photo, I know.

You can see my boy's blonde halo in the trumpet section.

 

Today, we're off to The Guthrie Theater to view and review A Christmas Carol. I'm bringing lots of family for this wonderful show.

 

If you're interested in taking a few voice lessons while Joy is here, contact her at Joy@itsajoystudio.com. Read her post on A Successful Day where she describes how voice lessons can boost your confidence as a singer and in life.

 

Read my most recent Her Voice article here  starting on p. 36,on having my first-born leave the nest.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a time when you felt more connected to your community through the arts.

Favorite Photo Friday is Back!

Quote of the Day:  Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present. - Buddha

In other words, live in the moment. Not always an easy thing to do. However, it will give you a sense of peace, help you enjoy where you are and the people who are with you.

My little sister flew in from Portland, OR on Wednesday. As soon as I picked her up, we started visiting people and reconnecting. The most important part of life is people and relationships.

Kay showing Joy her fridge full of family photos.

The next day, lunch with old friends, creative spirits and colleagues at

Bugaboo Bay in Alexandria, MN.

A stop at Carlos Creek Winery to visit with another friend who brought gifts and ideas.

One book he gave me is Truth in Comedy. He's been studying acting and theatre and emphasized that no matter what is going on in the scene, the most important thing is the relationship between the characters.

And, a stop at the Beilke farm for a delicious snack, a chance to share photos and stories, and time to look around.

We had one more stop at my friend's house to drop off borrowed items from graduation, do a quick catch-up, and watch her grandson love up the farm kittens, nearly to death! Wow. Talk about tame kitties.

That's all just the first 24 hours. I wonder what today will bring?

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Make your best effort to live in the moment today, this weekend, or whenever you are with important people in your life. What did you do, where did you go, what did you talk about?

Revisiting favorite places and familiar faces is also a reason to Ride off the Page! Check out whose there.

V is for Victory

The Quote of the Day that inspired my A to Z Blogging Challenge theme -
A Word for the Day that takes on many meanings.

Quote of the Day: A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator. John Steinbeck


Word of the Day: Victory

n. pl. vic·to·ries

1. Defeat of an enemy or opponent.

2. Success in a struggle against difficulties or an obstacle.
3. The state of having triumphed.
Definitions according to freedictionary.com. One of the phrases they associate with victory is carry the day.

The success of my first original play Coffee Shop Confessions is a triumphant victory. Yes, I overcame obstacles to even write it, then to gather the cast, set the dates, rehearse, and all the while fight down self-doubt and artist angst. After seven sold-out shows, we truly did carry the day. I'm still carrying it with me. Maybe I'm in denial, but it doesn't feel over. Krista said, "It's not over. It's just the beginning." I'm going with that. Who knows what will happen next?

A friend asked me if this experience changed me life. Oh, yes. There is something wild and wonderful about being in a play. New relationships form. I've been the conductor on this creative train, inviting others to jump on board, and together we ride on to victory.

Look at this crew! The two cut-ups were like that at every rehearsal. It was like Evening at the Improv at the Senior Center, our rehearsal space. In this photo, we're waiting to go on for our final performance (for this run) at The Shante. What a joy this has been.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a victory. When did you carry the day?

J is for Joy

The Quote of the Day that inspired my A to Z Challenge theme -
A Word for the Day that takes on many meanings.


Quote of the Day: A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator. John Steinbeck


Word of the Day: Joy

Joy is such a beautiful word. The word itself does not have a wide variety of meanings. It's usage can change, and as for comparisons, it is not the same as happiness.  Here's what freedictionary.com has:

n

1. a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment

2. something causing such a feeling; a source of happiness

3. an outward show of pleasure or delight; rejoicing

4. Brit informal success; satisfaction I went to the bank for a loan, but got no joy.

vb

1. (intr) to feel joy

2. (tr) Obsolete to make joyful; gladden

Our cousin Angie described the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is on the surface, like the waves. It has peaks and valleys and is determined by outside forces. Joy is what lies underneath, the steady calm. You can be at a valley in life, yet still feel the deeper contentment of knowing that joy dwells within you and it will soon surface again.

Joy is also the name of my younger sister. When she's performing or teaching, she is a joy to others. She just started blogging this year, and said YES! to the A to Z Blog Challenge. Click on over to her blog, It's a Joy! and say hello. It's a cheerful and inspiration blog.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Where does your joy come from?

J is for Joy

Letter of the Day:  J

J is for Joy, my beautiful and talented little sister.  She is a singer and actor and gives private voice and piano lessons.  I asked if she would offer some words of inspiration for you today.

J is for Joy and Jazz.



Hi everyone. I’m Joy, Mary’s little sister that you’ve seen and heard about several times. Nice to meet you!


I am a singer and voice/piano teacher in Portland, Oregon. The name of my studio is “It’s a Joy! Music Studio.” I chose that name partly because of the play on words (I love that kind of thing), but also because I truly believe that music is a joy – even the learning part. Currently, I’m learning how to sing jazz and teach the concepts to my students.


I have a wide range of students that come to my studio on a weekly basis. They range in age from 8 to 58. Some of the older students remember the days of piano teachers that would slap their hands with rulers and music teachers that told them to mouth the words. One of my greatest pleasures is giving these people a new model of music. It is one of joy and pleasure, not grief and pain. I let them know it’s OK to experiment. It’s OK to start lessons in your 30’s, 40’s, 60’s, 80’s! I let them know I won’t cringe, laugh, or run away if they don’t hit the right note. As Miles Davis said, “There are no wrong notes.”


The younger students bring a different kind of energy to the lesson. They love to experiment. They will come in with a song that they composed over the week (often having a catchy title such as, “Joy” -how great is that?!) Also, I find that they will often make the song “fancier” than written. I point out to them how the song actually goes, we master that and then I let them play it however they choose. This is exactly what is expected of a jazz musician. The tune is learned. The first time through is true to the composer then the second time through is where the performer gets to make it his/her own.


Music really is meant to be a joy. Letting go and not being afraid to experiment is the essence of jazz. Bringing the technique together with the emotion is what I encourage in my studio. I’m always excited about new ways to achieve this. Thanks Miles!

And, Thanks, Joy!  It was a Joy to have you here on my blog today.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  If you didn't think about your age or the time and cost involved, what would you like to start learning?

D is for Duet

Letter of the Day:  D

My older sister, Nancy, challenged me to use a name for each letter of the alphabet during this A-Z blog challenge.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it.  Today, I'll mention two friends, Don and Dawn.  They are both songwriters in my area and are helping me by writing original music for Coffee Shop Confessions.
D is for duet.  When two performers sing or play together it is called a duet.  However, when I accompany a singer, she is called a soloist.  Often, the accompanist is overlooked, and occassionally not even mentioned.  Yes, I've felt slighted by this.  On the other hand, a good accompanist is support for the soloist and allows her to shine.

Here, Joy and I are playing the duet part for Heart and Soul.  You all know it.  The bumpa, bumpa, song that sticks in your head forever.  Joy also got up and sang the words to the song as a solo, at which point I faded into the rhythm, bumpa, bumpa...

These photos are from a show we did together.  We opened by singing a duet of Sisters.  We were fighting over my scarf while singing the final stanza, "Lord, help the mister who comes between me and my sister, and Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man!"

Duets are a fun part of any production.  Some of my favorite duets are Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better, Hey Baby it's Cold Outside, Sunrise, Sunset, You're the One that I Want, and The Music of the Night.

One more for my mom since it's her birthday today.  She likes Do You Love Me? from Fiddler on the Roof.  Happy Birthday, Mom, I love you. (My mom probably won't see this considering she doesn't even own a computer.  Ah, they still live the simple life, down on the farm.)

Journaling Prompt:  What are your favorite duets? With whom would you like to sing a duet? (hoping Missed Periods will stop by and see my proper use of whom and sentence structure, here.)

"She Speaks" in Grand Forks

Quote of the Day:  I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. - Oscar Wilde

Here I sit at the coffee shop in downtown Brainered, MN, observing life, listening in, and participating.  A 10 page scene of my play Coffee Shop Confessions will be performed this Saturday in Grand Forks, ND.  The Brainerd Dispatch ran the article.  I'm now officially a playwright.  Here's the blurb:

*************

Baxter woman has play reading in N.D.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Mary Aalgaard, a writer living in Baxter, is one of the six women playwrights whose work will be read Saturday at the Fire Hall Theatre in Grand Forks, N.D.

The event “She Speaks — N.D.” is being jointly produced by the Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre and the International Center for Women Playwrights.

Aalgaard has been writing short plays with children and skits for various events for years. “Coffee Shop Confessions” is her first full-length play that will be read Saturday. She was inspired to write it because she spends much of her time hanging out in coffee shops. Aalgaard plans to have the full play performed at the Coco Moon in Brainerd later this spring.

The staged-readings are in celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. Other writers whose work is included are Margaret Bail, Adonica Schultz Aune, Kathy Coudle-King, Charlotte Helgeson and Debbie Pfluhoeft-Hassett. Directors include Marie Strinden, Jared Fladeland, Carly Flaagan and Larissa Netterlund.
Tickets are $5 and go to the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, as well as the International Center for Women Playwrights.
*****************

Oh, yay, you'll need to tie a string to my foot because I'm soaring up in the clouds.  My best writer-mama-pal Roxane will be driving up from Fargo.  She's bringing the chocolate.  I have the wine.
Wine, chocolate, great friends, theatre, success = A VERY GREAT WEEKEND!

Go. Create. Inspire! And, have your own "up in the clouds" experience. 
(ooo, the view is quite remarkable from up here)

Journaling Prompt:  Describe an "up in the clouds" experience that you've had, or long to have.





















Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/o/oscarwilde120291.html#ixzz1FY0fkKMm

Joy in Unexpected Places

Quote of the Day:  May you find JOY in unexpected places. Katrine Trobisch Stewart, my journaling mentor, author, and speaker

My parents had a VIP guest visiting this week.  My dad's cousin Erling from Norway was over here to attend his 50th high school class reunion.  He was born in Norway and came to Minnesota in the late 50's with his family and graduated from Ada High School in 1960.  He and his family returned to Norway where he lived and worked, married and raised children.  I first met him when he was here for his 25th reunion, and a few years later when I went to Norway while in college.

I wasn't sure I'd make it back to the family farm to see him during his short stay in the States.  But, Mom called on Friday morning and we decided that I could just drive there on Sat., spend the night with them, and then I'd get to see Erling and spend time with family. 

My hesitation was from resisting the three-hour drive, there and back, alone, because my kids were with their dad this weekend.  I would have been happier taking them with me to visit their grandparents and meet a relative "from the Old Country," as they like to put it.

My first stop was in Ada where they said they'd be at some festivities at the fairgrounds/Pioneer Village, a museum location in this small town.  I drove up and few cars were there.  The food was all gone, and the vendors were packing up their booths.  I wandered into the museum to see if my parents were there.  No. Then, I noticed people walking into the old church.  Well, if my parents would be anywhere it would be the church.  I walked in and heard a gorgeous string quartet starting the first strains of a concert.  I moved in farther.  A man in the back pew whispered that there was seating up front.  I didn't want to interrupt the concert, nor push my way forward, so I whispered back, "Thanks, I'm looking for my parents."

I didn't see my parents, but I did spot my Godparents, and the music was pure sweet goodness, so I stood back, took out my camera for a silent/flashless photo, and enjoyed.

They are the 8th Street String Quartet, the "all star" ensemble of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra.  Dr. Benjamin Sung talked to us in between songs to give us the story behind the pieces - one of my favorite things!  I particularly liked the Quartet in F Major, Op. 96, "American" by Antonin Dvorak.  He was inspired to write this piece after visiting the United States, even as this nation was building itself.  I could hear the vastness of our country in the strains of music.  Ah, Joy in a very unexpected place.  Plus, I got a photo with my Godmother, Clarice.

Then, I had dinner with my sister, her husband and his parents - a delicious spread of soup, sandwich meat, chicken salad, smoked salmon, variety of cheeses, and lots of candied almonds!  I slept like a baby at Mom & Dad's house and went to our little country church where the pianist raised the rafters with her grandious playing, and we were leanin' and swayin' on our way out to "What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leanin' on the everlasting arms!"

More food.  My neice Holly and I were celebrating our birthdays with chocolate cake and fry-bread tacos (Thanks, Nancy!).

Holly's a model for her friend's clothing designs and they used her picture for the advertising postcard.

Here's the celebrity of the hour, Erling, holding the little tractor that my uncle carved for him.  My Uncle David, my mom's brother, worked with him on a farm when Erling lived here. 

Erling and my dad.  I think they're talking farming and offspring.  Erling asked when I planned to come back to Norway.  I'd love to bring my kids there some day.  When Nancy goes there for her dream stay, I'll take the boys with me to visit her and all the relatives in the Old Country.

Bye, Erling!  Hope to see you soon!

Journaling Prompt:  Write a bit about your family history.  What countries were home to your relatives?  How did you get to where you are today?

Joy in Creating

Quote of the Day:  We are adventuring in the chartless seas of imagination. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Children teach us so much about experiencing Joy in creating.  As you enter Lake Carlos from the shores of Mount Carmel, you must walk over layers of rock.  You can think of it as a bad thing as they dig into your feet.  Or, you can see it as a good thing, as it gives you endless tools for building a tower of rocks as you sit in the cool water.

You might discover that your new friend who is really your second cousin likes to build, too, and you make a pier together.

Maybe you and your daughters create a sand turtle to live on the beach. 

What you have really discovered is that making something doesn't cost anything.  It takes as long as it needs to, and it lasts forever in your mind, or as a picture, or only until the next wave comes up and washes it away.

I was talking to my oldest son about the magic of computers and how information that seems lost can be recovered.  He said, "That just shows you that once something is created, it's never completely gone."

Summer is slipping into the past, lingering in our memories, and yet, we cherish what we've made.

Journaling Prompt:  Where did you go this summer?  What memories did you make?  Which ones will linger the longest in the snapshot of your mind?