Maria Shine Stewart
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio - Are you a little keyed up these days? Are you feeling out of tune with the world, falling behind your naturally energetic beat? Or are the slushy, slippery rhythms of mid-winter making you drag?
Music can help.
Surviving February takes strength of spirit at time but there is also a great deal to celebrate in words and in song, from Black History Month to the power of love and valentines on the 14th to presidents whose talents we still ponder. My students are reading "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin. Did you know that Baldwin credited the two libraries he frequented, growing up in Harlem, as nourishing his appetite for the written word?
Locally, music is happening -- at schools and at libraries, at home and in our heads, Let's not forget its collective impact, Together as we listen to and produce music, we can transform first our moods, and then our possibilities.
A gift and a gifted performer. With Gilmour Academy in the process of becoming a Steinway Select K-12 School, the school hosted Steinway artist Lara Downes of California recently, and she delivered a special performance for Gilmour's Lower School students. She shared an important message about dedicating oneself to a cause, or making a promise to oneself, and then taking steps to bring it to life today and in the future. Even as a child she wanted to become a professional musician, putting in the years of practice required, note by note and day by day. Combining conversation and piano playing, Downes inspired students to follow their dreams.
Downes' music is available on more than 200 digital platforms, and she has a large following on YouTube. Downes also directs the Mondavi Center National Young Artists Program at the University of California, Davis.
Gilmour's investment in best-in-class equipment - Steinway & Sons grand pianos - and this partnership with Steinway were achieved through a scheduled donation from Gilmour alumnus and current parent Matthew P. Figgie '84, The Figgie Foundation and Figgie Capital. Gilmour Academy is a Catholic, independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Ind. with a Montessori program starting at 18-months old and a Lower, Middle and Upper School. A boarding program is available for students in grades 7 through 12. It is located at 34001 Cedar Road in Gates Mills. Visit www.gilmour.org
South Euclid music. "Kill da Wabbit?" Perhaps you can remember the plaintive song sung by Elmer Fudd in the zany Bugs Bunny cartoon, merging art and humor in a unique combination. Anyone who wants to learn more about "Opera in Pop Culture" is in for a treat at the Cuyahoga County Public Library, South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 South Green Road. Great Lakes Opera will offer listeners a tour of opera in popular culture, including cartoons, commercials, movies and television shows at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13.
Toys and Big Fun! Mark your calendar for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, also at CCPL-South Euclid/Lyndhurst, "An Evening with Steve Presser" promises to delight families, adults, and kids of all ages. Presser will discuss the business of toys, models and vintage collectibles. Times may change but toys really never grow old. And even if they grow older, they help us feel young.
And big music! Alternatively, on the same evening, perhaps you prefer some toe-tapping? At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, consider the power of music at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Library, 1876 South Green Road. "Jazz/Music Icons-- The Music of Tom Jobim" is the program, presented by the talented Mark Russo from the Cleveland Jazz Revolution. If you do not know, Tom Jobim was Brazil's iconic musician and composer who popularized samba and bossa nova during the 1960s. Phone 216-382-4880 if you have questions and/or to book a spot. Free.
Chardon Polka Band. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 19 this upbeat group can mix it up with the best, once again at the library. With all due respect, this is not simply your father's polka band (not that there was anything wrong with that...we're Clevelanders, after all). Consider the power of a sound that mixes up the best of then and now, merging vintage and in vogue. Come out and hear traditional polka music spiced up with covers of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, to name a few! Check out the library website to learn more about other library offerings too, www.ccpl.org
Warm up with 'PopTarts'? At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, the delicious sound of this group reminiscent of "beehives, bouffants and bubble gum" will be all the rage. They are Cleveland's own girl group with a unique sound. Get out your mini skirts and peg-leg slacks for a trip down memory lane. But since it's Cleveland, don't forget your boots and coat,
Strike the right note. Let me know about your Sun Messages, too. Email mariashinestewart@gmail.com and put "Sun Messages" in the subject line for quickest response.
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