Dreams of teaching music (an being in harmony)

Hi and thanks for this heavensent opportunity to share,

I dream to make as much music education available as possible!

I used to want to write a book "Pipe Dreams" about my experiences playing in bands, they were Salsa, Reggae, Soca=Soul Calypso, Dance, African, Fusion and such. I have so many stories, usually about crooked or just foolish people, mistreating musicians... waaahh!! I realized though, even with names changed, people will know who I am referring to and I'd get in trouble!

Turning that frown upside down, the other side of that same coin is: there is so much less budget for music programs in schools, and there are many unemployed musicians... hmmm....

There must be a way to integrate these two! I'm working to make some existing music of mine into "Music Culture Studies" here are the existing 'lessons:'

http://webpageexperience.com/doc/worldsou.doc

http://webpageexperience.com/doc/spiritto.doc

http://webpageexperience.com/doc/purelove.doc

http://webpageexperience.com/doc/funkismm.doc

http://webpageexperience.com/doc/jumpupst.doc

I'm planning to get a color lazer printer and make lots of these and get them into various libraries. I want to make a complete studies book that has them and more.

Some of the smaller examples of "budget music lessons" that can help where there isn't the budget for music classes:

Clave sticks are really important in any "latin" music, salsa, rumba, tango, latin jazz, etc.. A class project can be, kids get used drumsticks from drummers they like, and in the class they are cut in 1/2, sanded, maybe painted cute colors, and they have little clave sticks. This way they aren't too loud!

Believe it or not there are many lessons and things about percussions that take hours, even months and years, and these little clavitas are perfect! I can see bedridden people, kids, learning to "be tight" in their timing and having fun percussion interactions.

Another is something my Berkeley Rumbero friends used to do: there are bass singing patterns, one person does that, then another person does a middle type of pattern, and another sings a solo line over it. This doesn't even have ANY instrument cost at all! There are a lot of really fun lessons in "barbershop quarted" or "doo-wop" or whatever you want to call it.

In Flamenco, Salsa, Rhumba and many other forms there are interactive things that can be done to inspire kids and have them included. Phil Pazmanic a friend in SF made a Rhumba out of Old MacDonald and the kids choose animals, Flamenco Allegrias everyone can have a turn, at a proud "turn!" Ta-da!!!

I'm now studying classical music, and I find the lessons about the masters to be the missing life-lessons I needed to learn. Dear dear Schubert, never owned a piano, invented a type of Lieder-Sung songs, some of the most beautiful symphonies, poor guy, syphilis - keep safe! Bach "tempered" the instruments - that is a huuuge conversation, but after him, one horn could play in any key! That must have ruffled feathers, but allowed all to play!!!! Love you Johan Sebastian!! Dear Wolfgang, dad sent him out in infancy to perform! Still one of the greatest ever, though in a paupers grave Poor Ludwig went deaf and when he finished his 9th, he was too poor to buy a suit good enough to conduct it... boo hoo! He may have been the greatest composer, but he didn't play life all that well! Strauss, now that's a hero, a golden statue on his grave!

Learning about the masters I have learned that popularity and true longevity (of the music, well the players too) are almost polar opposites. Swan Lake was a flop at first! Now, the standard for beautiful ballet. Many hated creations, later are the most honored. So, pop... is... like pop corn (ha ha!!), anyway, art that is truly valuable, and lasts, is different than what "mass culture" likes. And not burning out, is a great lesson, for all of us, actually.

So my big dream, is that I can create music lessons for specific styles, like the '.doc' files I listed above, and also somehow formulate the life's lessons learned from reading about St. George (the black Mozart), Chopin, Paganini, Liszt, Verdi, Debussy, Rach. and so on, into a healthy, happy, creative liveliness living book on how to play life well.

I learned from the old Dr. Deepak Chopra discussions a phrase: "May I not be in the way of my art." and I have taken this to heart. I'm shifted from performer to composer, and cleaned up lots of funky jazzy "rough" music from my past into nice presentations. I am going to apply at a conservatory soon, and perhaps try publishing, copyrighting and self-publishing some other musicians, hopefull this can afford me to produce my "How to be in Harmony" master guide, with sections that can be courses at various levels, in various styles.

Wish me luck.

Peace (of music)

Teo Barry Vincent IV

Luck! :thumbsup: