Tuesday Update

The day is almost gone and I have not found a moment til now to think about blogging! That's what happens when Monday is a holiday.


So, quickly, check out Sunday's 60 Minutes report on Gustavo Dudamel, the new conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I found it a fascinating profile. He is a product of "El Sistema" -- the Venezuelan innovation that takes children (a quarter of a million so far, almost all from poor neighborhoods), and teaches them how to play instruments. This has now led to hundreds of youth orchestras sprouting up all over the country.


El Sistema has been mentioned in the MENC blog before so I felt very well informed as I watched the segment!


Onward -- EWL

Thursday Interlude—O Say Can You See

On Tuesday night after watching American Idol (Bye Lakisha. I will always remember "And I Am Tellin' You I'm Not Goin'." You may have a career yet, but go Jordin!) I was flipping through some television channels.
I landed on that 1992 classic, A League of Their Own on the Disney Family Channel. Even though I own the DVD, I stopped to watch for a bit because (1) because I am a huge baseball fan and (2) I love seeing Geena Davis (what a catcher!) I love it when she does the splits while catching the ball, Tom Hanks ( “Are you crying? There is no crying in baseball!”) and Madonna as “All the Way Mae,” (surely not an instance of typecasting) as their younger selves.

Before I saw this movie I never knew there was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during and shortly after World War II. I thought that was pretty cool that women had smashed through such barriers.

When I visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, a couple of seasons ago, I made sure to visit the AAGPBL exhibit at the museum.

One of the reasons I stopped to watch Tuesday night is because there is scene where a lady of, shall we say, generous proportions, sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” to rapt crowd. I am such a lady myself and it always makes me chuckle

Anyway, that scene reminded me what a large role the national anthem has played in my life for the past several years. Not long after I began working at MENC the association launched the National Anthem Project, the national project aimed at raising the profile of music educators and the role music teachers play in teaching students about the musical heritage of the United States.

As the MENC news person, I have been lucky to be present at several NAP events—the official launch on Capitol Hill with The Oak Ridge Boys, Girl Scouts, a color guard, MENC officers and members of Congress; the unofficial launch of the NAP Road Show during Army-Navy Game weekend in Philadelphia a couple of years ago; road show stops in Richmond, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland.

• I’ve taken photos of shiny-faced kids in NAP tee shirts passionately singing the “The Star-Spangled Banner” as their teachers directed them as a well-rehearsed performance. And I've seen them proudly wearing their NAP medallions, the red, white and blue ribbons dangling proudly around their necks.

• I’ve seen little boys race their dads to put the words to the national anthem in the right order on a magnetic scramble board and a group of young singers from a school for the deaf perform “The Star Spangled Banner” in sign language.
  

• I’ve enjoyed watching entire families giggle through a karaoke version of "The Star Spangled Banner" and then say "Can we do it again? "
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• I've seen teachers deftly handle television interviews that put a well-deserved on spotlight on their music programs.
  

As an editor, in Teaching Music and Music Educators Journal I have laid out pages with photos of teenage boys playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” on electric guitars, little girls and boys in an instrument zoo and happily banging on a variety of percussion instruments.

The Road Show reached a lot of people as it crossed the United States and many music teachers have told us that their music programs have become more visible as a result.
The project will end with a Grand Finale June 14 (Flag Day) to 16 in Washington DC and in Annapolis, Maryland.

I just came from a National Anthem Project Committee meeting where a group of us discussed the Grand Finale (visit The National Anthem Project Web site for the grand finale news). It will be a grand event indeed with students and teachers from 39 different states traveling to Washington to sing in concert at the Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument grounds. the President's Own United States Marine Band along with The Oak Ridge Boys .


Hey, if you happen to be in DC next month join us. Or plan a trip. DC is beautiful in early summer. We'd love to see you.

And I will see you next Thursday.Toodles
RF

Thursday Interlude: Rattle Those Pots and Pans

Hi Everyone,
I know you are never, ever, ever guilty of this, putting off something you kept meaning to do until it is too late to actually do it? A few months ago my good friend BS here began asking staffers and MENC members for recipes to include in cookbook to commemorate MENC’s April Centennial.


I immediately thought of a recipe to submit—"African Chicken Peanut Stew," a recipe I found a couple of years ago. My 13-year-old son Matt and my husband Steve are always happy when this dish shows up on the dinner table. The Africa Guide

I love to cook and on Sundays I often put together dishes that take a bit more time. The stew is great the day you eat it, but is even better the next day if you have leftovers. It is quite yummy, especially if you like peanut butter.

Any who, I never got around to submitting my recipe and you guessed it, the cookbook came out this week MENC Centennial. (Thanks for converting the book cover to a JPEG, MB.)

It is great fun to read and the recipes cover lots of different cooking styles. It is item #1000, $12.50/$10.00 for MENC members. You can also call MENC at 800-336-3768 for more information. KR did a great job of design and layout and the tasty recipes are accompanied by mouth watering photos from the aforementioned BS but alas, no recipe from yours truly.

The cooks who actually responded to call for recipes include Nancy K. Olson, a 12-year-member from Bottineau, North Dakota, who offers a recipe for Butter Horns or Scones that she says, “ are always big hit a bake sales,” and Karl Glenn, a 33-year member from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who submitted a recipe for “Perfect Restaurant Steak.”

And save some room for dessert. Candace Cook’s Raspberry
Chocolate Cake looks yummy, for instance. She is a retired member from Mesa, Arizona.

There are lots of great recipes in appetizer, bread and rolls, breakfast foods, cookies and candies, desserts, main dishes and other categories. Many of the recipes are accompanied by little stories and suggestions for music to listen to when you dine.

So, to make myself feel better for (sigh) missing the deadline, I present my little story, music suggestions from my son and the recipe itself.

My Story: A couple of years ago when my son was getting picky about food, I searched for recipes based on ingredients he liked. Peanut butter and chicken topped his list at the time and when I found a recipe for African Chicken Peanut Stew, I thought I had winner. I knew I was right when he asked for seconds, as did my husband and it has become one of my go-to recipes when I plan menus for the week.

Recipe for Success in the Classroom: Last year when Matt took Teen Living in seventh grade, he had to cook a meal at home and it was the first thing he thought of cooking for his project. We took pictures of him chopping and stirring various ingredients. His teacher was impressed that he had chosen a recipe that required a lot of chopping, but it’s really not a hard recipe to make. He got an A on his project!

Suggested Music: Matt believes anything by Bob Marley would be great, as would “Big Rock Candy Mountain” from the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Of course the latter is just because he likes that song and the soundtrack. He also suggested "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley .

Try the stew and let me know what you think. You can now post comments by clicking on Reply below. What is your favorite recipe? What kind of music do you like to listen to during dinner?


African Chicken Peanut Stew

One and a half hours cooking time, including 30 minutes of prep
8-10 servings, 12 cups
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 lbs boneless chicken, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 sweet potato or yam, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2/3 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy, your choice)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bell pepper, any color, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped


1. In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil on med-high. When hot, add the onions and sweet potatoes, stir and cook until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add chicken, cook til opaque.
3. Stir in the garlic, curry powder, coriander, cumin, and crushed red chiles. Cook 1 minute.
4. Add the carrots, celery, ginger, cinnamon, bay leaf, salt, chicken broth, and tomato paste.
5. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.
6. When the stew has cooked for 45 minutes, stir in the peanut butter. Cook another 3 minutes, uncovered for the flavors to blend.
7. Stir in the chopped tomato and bell pepper. Simmer until the tomatoes and pepper are softened but still retain their shape, 3 to 5 minutes.
8. Stir in lemon juice. Serve with the chopped cilantro on the top, and additional red pepper flakes on the side, if you like.


Around the MENC Water Cooler: Or should I say, in the third floor kitchen. I have kitchen duty this week. Every two months or so we each are assigned to take responsibility for the kitchen for a week, loading a dishwasher, restocking supplies, swiping down surfaces, etc.) It just takes a few minutes to keep the yuck to a minimum.

One day this week while on chaos control in the kitchen, I ran into TH, our intrepid tech guru here at MENC. “How is your family?” I asked, and he shared the great news that his wife is expecting their third child in October.

He has a pre-teen daughter and a younger son and said he isn't concerned about gender, just wants a healthy baby. Given the fact that he urges everyone here at MENC to “have babies,” I was happy to know he is following his own advice.

He suggested I put his news in “that thing you do,” so here it is. Congratulations TH and more importantly, Mrs. H!

One quick note about American Idol, last night. So relieved that Jordin was spared, despite her screeching performance on Tuesday. Hey, she's allowed one misstep, ok. She is 17, for Pete's sake. She has been so fab all season, and I still think she can win. Phil and Chris. Eh. For those of you who are fans, see them on tour this summer. As for me, I was happy with the way things went.
See you next Thursday
RF

Thursday Interlude: Charity Begins On Stage

In 2006 MENC member LaVone Hicks directed her students from the roof of the elementary schoolduring a ceremony to celebrate their fund raising effort for MENC's Feed The Children campaign. Musicand fund raising go hand in hand, as many music teachers know.

And you thought Elvis had left the building.

Not! He looked pretty good last night, warbling along with Celine Dion.

It was young, hot, altruistic Elvis, the Elvis who knows that one of the best ways to raise money is to strike up the band. American Idol Gives Back proved that last night. $30 million. Whew! Collective pat on the back, America. However you feel about the images of kids throughout the show and some people were uncomfortable with that, money was raised and is going to help needy families in the United States and Africa.

What did you think of the show? I liked the "Staying Alive" video. Goofy, yes. Blue Man Group! Hugh Grant recreating his "Pop" video hip-shakin' from the recent Music and Lyrics movie. It's an 80's style Whamfest (Really cute flick if you haven't seen it. ARN and I totally love it. Hugh and Drew Barrymore as song writers are great together.) Jack Black was funny and I loved Ellen Degeneres, always the good sport. U2's Bono was his usual cool self. Now there's a guy who's done a lot of good around the world. Bono's met with the six remaining finalists to talk about the work of ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History. One is one of Idol's charities.

But the big shocker (gasp!) was that no one went home on charity night (ARN and I discussed that possibility yesterday, smart us). But making Jordin cry! That was mean.

On the other hand, Wednesday was full of good news. My colleague NS sent an email yesterday morning alerting us that MENC member and music educator Andrea Peterson of Granite Falls, Washington, was named Teacher of the Year. Congratulations Andrea! According to The Associated Press, the elementary music teacher is only the second music teacher in 57 years to receive that honor from the Council of Chief State School Officers.

News like that gets us excited around here. We are always happy to hear learn a member was recognized for their hard work and this award is a big one. Along with other teacher finalists, Peterson met President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush. Visit this link to see video of the awards ceremony and read their remarks today at White House Rose Garden.

And there was other good news on Wednesday. Spinal Tap is reuniting in July to play in a London concert to help combat global warming. All is right with the world of fund raising concerts. Rock on dudes.

Spinal Tap is the mock heavy metal group that appeared in the faux 1984 rockcumentary, This is Spinal Tap, which was directed by Rob Reiner, who also played documentarian Marti DiBergi in the film. The group has reunited sporadically.

My son Matt is a Spinal Tap fan of sorts. He enjoys shredding the video game Guitar Hero II, using a controller shaped like an electric guitar. Spinal Tap's song, "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" is one of the songs in the game that he's played. Brilliant title, lads.

Spinal Tap is made up of Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Once known as the “loudest rock band in the world,” Spinal Tap will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts, a festival scheduled worldwide on July 7.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Reiner said, “They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming. Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing — that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler.”

Uh, right. Nigel, David and Derek, are, shall we say, not the sharpest knives in the drawer. Rent it if you haven't seen it. The tagline for the movie is "Does for rock and roll what The Sound of Music does for hills." It is so funny.

Guest, McKean and Shearer work well together in improvisational comedies, like the recent "For Your Consideration" and "A Mighty Wind", which offers a backstage view of a fictional folk singers' reunion for a fictional public broadcasting show.

July festival planners will open the event by the showing of several global warming-themed short films produced by the SOS (Save Our Selves) campaign. SOS is also putting on the Live Earth concerts, to be held on seven continents. Reiner is directing a 15-minute “Spinal Tap” film that will be shown there and also at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Let's face it, music is always ready to help out when funds or consciousness need raising. We are the World. Band Aid. Lots of music, big bucks.

Last year MENC members across the country used concerts and other events to help raise money for MENC’s Feed The Children campaign.

MENC member LaVone Hicks below used a talent show at her school Carver Elementary School in Mount Olive, North Carolina, to become the top fundraising school in the 2006 national campaign. Parents chipped in to count the coins and kids donated their life's savings. Nationwide, MENC members raised nearly $100,000 for the cause and fed lots of kids and families.

With summer coming, my husband and decided to get tickets for the almost-in-our-backyard Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts. (I am jealous of all of the shows EWL will attend this summer.)

So far we have settled on tickets for Harry Connnick Jr. in June. As I mentioned in an earlier post, HC, a New Orleans native, is donating some proceeds from two recent CDs, Oh, My Nola and Chanson du Vieux Carre to help fund a "village" of houses for displaced New Orleans musicians. My husband gave me Nola for Valentine's Day and I love it.

I will say goodbye for the week with this thought: Music and fund raising go together like heavy metal and really bad hair.

See you next Thursday
RF